Vicissitude Aisle
by xkaylophobiax
Summary: A girl named Aubrey is an outcast in society due to the fact that she and her family are half-bloods, able to transform into wolves at will. As an Alpha-in-training, Aubrey must protect those she loves from a rival clan whose members are bent on the destruction of innocent humans. At the center of all of this madness she must chose to follow her heart or follow her destiny.
1. Chapter 1

**Vicissitude Aisle**

**Chapter 1**

"**Aubrey?"**

**A sweet, calming voice melted over me. "Aubrey, darling, you need to wake up. You know Alpha wouldn't want you to be late for your ceremony."**

**I glanced at my digital clock that seemed to be the only thing giving off light. 3:20 a.m. You would think that after almost 15 or more years I would be used to getting up this early.**

"**Honey?" I turned over to face the voice.**

"**Yes mom, I will meet you there. I promise. Why don't you go ahead? I'll catch up to you." My voice was groggy.**

"**Alright, Aubrey. Please make sure you're not late. A pre-alpha cannot be late." Her voice was still calm but stern. **

**I let out a huge sigh. "I know mom. I know."**

"**It's at the lake; you know, the one that's 2 miles north from the railroad?"**

"**Mmhm." I turned away from her. I heard four paws hit the ground and I felt her light baby blue eyes stare at me. "Mom, I promise you I won't be late. I love you and I'll catch up." **

**She put her front paws up on the bed and nuzzled her furry, soft, pure white head on my back as if to say, "I love you, too." The last thing I heard was her four paws going out the bedroom door.**

** Today's the big day: the day where I move up rank in my pack.**

**I'm going to be pre-alpha. That means when the alpha male dies or steps down, I take his place. Me and whichever male I pick to lead alongside me.**

**As of right now our pack is average size, consisting of 8 wolves: there's me; my brother, John; my sister, Jazzel; John's mate, Bella; Jazzel's mate, Michael; my best friend, Peyton; and then our alpha female, my mom, Alicia; and our alpha male, my father, Luke. Most of my immediate family is a part of my pack, except for my 6 year old nephew, Ryan. I honestly don't know why he hasn't been marked yet; I mean, I got marked when I was 3 years old. Imagine that, just learning how to walk and talk, and then getting slapped in the face by learning all the responsibilities of being a wolf, and everything that goes with it.**

**It was a lot to take in.**

**I got into a lot of trouble by the time I hit my early teen years. I can remember one specific instance: the time I came face to face with a strange, demented wolf. I was 13, and Alpha had finally let me explore our territory. I felt so happy that I could finally be on my own; doing what I wanted to do, not being watched. It was right after I was done swimming in the river when I got out and shook off. Then, as I was finishing shaking, I caught an unfamiliar sent. I couldn't place it, for I never smelt anything like this before in either my human or wolf form. Curious, I followed the vile smell, and as I got closer and closer the smell got stronger. I merged out of the brush, and right there and then I saw a dead body with a wolf standing above it. He was huge and built, with dark brown fur – except for around his mouth. Around his mouth, the fur was stained a blood red.**

**He grinned at me.**

"**Luke's pup, aren't ya?" His words were lifeless and cold, as were his dark eyes.**

**Instinctively, I bared my teeth and let out a low growl.**

"**Easy now, pup. Where's your respect?" He started walking away from me and towards the territory Alpha said never to enter.**

"**You killed an innocent person!" Stricken, I trotted over to the dead body in hopes that there was some way I could save it. **

"**She's dead," he assured me. The wolf's eyes echoed a devious laugh as he disappeared into the trees.**

**I never told Alpha about it. I guess I was afraid of getting in trouble. But to this day I never forgot the horrifying smell of unjustified death.**

** I rolled out of bed and stumbled my way to the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, I saw a pale-skinned girl; her jet black hair pulled up in a pony tail with a right blue eye and left green eye starring out from behind her bangs. With a sigh, I took out my hair tie and watched my long hair completely cover my back and my bangs fall in my face to completely cover my left eye. I took out my purple tooth brush and started brushing my abnormally white teeth. Grabbing my denim washed jeans and a white tank top, I slowly made my way down stairs to finish getting ready.**

**It was 4:13 A.M. when I stepped out of the house. The warm summer breezed danced around me. A smile escaped my face, and I started running full force toward the forest. Quite a ways in, I leapt over a dead fallen tree, and thick black fur covered my body as I landed on my paws.**

**All my instincts kicked in and I lost sense of time as I became one with nature. I smelt the morning grass; I could feel the air shift temperatures as it was getting ready to welcome the sun in the sky; I heard the birds call to one another; water falling off the cliff and landing in the lake, where the pack was waiting for. . .**

"**The ceremony!" I snarled and took off running. **

**Telling by the sun, I got to the lake around 4:34 A.M. It was so beautiful – the shades of the sky started getting lighter as the sun greeted the land, the lake was calm and soothing, and the breeze was very comforting. This serenity all came to an end when I heard bickering and fidgeting from the pack, and a deep, angry howl came from above the lake.**

"**Aubrey!" The strong, powerful voice echoed all around, causing goose bumps and quieting the pack down.**

"**Ye-yes, Alpha?" I let out a whimper.**

**Above the lake's ridges stood a huge wolf with features that gave away his rank of Alpha male. He was a grey wolf with a pure white line that wrapped around his neck and a patch of white on each paw. But more than that, his very stature demanded respect, with his head held high and body carried tall.**

** "Join me," he demanded.**

** "Yes, Alpha." I climbed an eternity to the ridges above.**

** As I approached, he growled, "Aubrey, you know the ceremony started 10 minutes ago. As Pre-Alpha, you will take on greater responsibilities, and that means showing up on time!" He bared his teeth at me. In response I bowed my head to him.**

** "I understand Alpha. I'm sorry." His green eyes glared at me. I could have sworn I felt daggers stab right through my body.**

** Letting out a growl he went to the ledge of the ridge and spoke out with his authoritative voice. His words reached the ears of every pack member as he went through with the ceremony. "Aubrey, having reached the age of eighteen, you are prepared to take on the duties and responsibilities of a Pre-Alpha. As Alpha of this pack, I grant you the rank of Pre-Alpha. Do you accept?"**

** "I accept." I took my place by his side.**

** "Lead us in a closing howl," he instructed. Inhaling as deeply as I could, I let a long, deep howl. Alpha joined in, and then Mom, and last but not least, the rest of the pack. Our voices together echoed through the forest.**

** After the ceremony was over, I had a full 45 minutes to get home and get ready for school, so I decided to take the long way home. I was walking along the railroad tracks, lost in thought, when a voice came from behind me.**

** "Aubrey! Hey, Aubrey!" A panting hazelnut wolf, with a distinguishing white strip stretching down her underbelly, came trotting up alongside me.**

** "Hey, Peyton," I greeted her nonchalantly.**

** "Congrats on your rank up!" she piped up immediately. Acting as though I didn't hear her, I started sniffing the ground. Peyton shook as if she was trying to dry off.**

** "Bree?" she asked after a moment.**

** "Yeah?"**

** "I was congratulating you on-" A bloody scream followed by a strange dark deep howl rang around us. Within seconds the pack was running right by us, baring their teeth and letting out frightening growls. Peyton and I joined them in the chase. **

** "John! Mike! Let's go, it's coming for the northwest boarder. Alicia, Jazzel, Bella, you're gonna cut them off, so be ready!" Alpha commanded.**

** "Alpha, what about me?" I said, trying to catch up to him.**

** "You are staying here with Peyton. You're not ready for this." His voice was very intimidating. **

** "But, I've been in this pack for years now and I haven't-"**

** "I said no!" Alpha's growl made the other wolves flinch and made me stop dead in my tracks. Slowly, they all disappeared into the horizon as Peyton and I were left there, staring. **

** It was 7:20 A.M. when I finally got to school. Making my way to the cafeteria to meet with my friends, I fumed over what had happened.**

** As before, a voice came from behind me. "Bree?"**

** "Yeah?" I turned around turned around to see who needed me. **

** Peyton was there to greet me. She smiled comfortingly and said, "I'm sorry about Alpha. I mean, I understand why I can't go. I'm a new blood, I can't even catch my own tail," she said, trying to be humorous, as is her way.**

** "Eh, don't worry about it, Peyton. It's whatever. I just wish I knew what it was." I was very frustrated.**

** " You will, Bree. You are Pre-Alpha, after all, and you need to know these things," she said.**

** " Yeah."**

** "Well, I'll see you at lunch?"**

** I rubbed my arm. "I'm not gonna be there. I'm gonna leave before then."**

** "Bree! You can't! You know Alpha would chop your tail off!" **

** "I don't care. I'm already gonna get yelled at for being late to the ceremony, and for asking to go with them. Why not add one more thing to the list?" The bell sounded, interrupting Peyton's incoming response and signaling students to their first period class.**

**As it died down, Peyton put her hand on my shoulder. "Bree, don't worry about your rank up. I know you will be an awesome Alpha some day." She hugged me and left.**

** I had Gym, P.I.G., and a study hall, followed by a math class; four 45 minute periods to go, and then I could leave. I could make it. It's my senior year, after all. I didn't have a lot of classes that I needed to pass in order to graduate. **

** I know Peyton said I would make an awesome Alpha someday, but I honestly don't want to be Alpha at all. If I have to act anything like my father does, then I don't want it. Not only that, but I don't know if I can handle the responsibilities. I have know the whereabouts of all the pack members at all times, fend off intruders, keep balance in our territory, know what to do in any giving situation, and just, AH! It's too much!**

**I never wanted to be Pre-Alpha, though it's kind of late to take it back now. I can't deny it – to refuse the title would be to betray my pack, which is the number one thing you cannot do as a wolf. Needless to say, I'm really not all that worked up about the ranking. It's more of what happened earlier.**

**I really want to know what Alpha and the rest of the pack is doing. That's happened a lot throughout my life in the pack, but especially this past month. Why can't I go? Peyton did bring up a great point: I'm going to be Pre-Alpha, so shouldn't I learn all I can from Alpha? Truth be told, however, our relationship isn't all that great. He's Alpha all the time, wolf form or human form. I can't say I remember the last time I called him "dad."**

**The bell rung, derailing my train of thought and ending my 4****th**** period math class. I couldn't hurry enough to get out of there. It's not that I hate math; actually, I love it. I just hate school in general, but not always for the schooling itself. As I made my way out of the class into the hallway, to the first left there were two girls that were wearing really expensive clothing and giving off an almost visible stuck-up aura. Anyone's first impression of these girls would be correct.**

** "Ew, look. It's the mutt," the fake blond whispered to the fake brunette.**

** "She probably has fleas!" the brunette shrilled out with an unmasked giggle.**

**That's why I despise this place. I walked out the door to the outside and, once again, the air danced around me, lifting up my hair and exposing both my eyes. I looked back at the two stuck up girls who stood there, dumbfounded in their disgust in me.**

**I decided to walk instead of phasing, though I came so close to doing so in front of my would-be tormentors. I figured I'd walk until I got to the mall, and then I'd phase and go swimming in the river, or maybe practice some hunting. As I came to the road I looked up to see if a car was coming, and that's when I saw him on the other side. Xavier.**

**His to die for blue eyes locked on mine, causing me to stand there like an idiot. Xavier is a couple years older than me, and we used to be the best of friends before he graduated and left me behind in our scummy high school. He was in my business and law class back in 10****th**** grade, though he was in 12****th**** at the time. I can remember sitting in the back of the room watching him walk in and take his rightful place in the front of the class. I noticed something was different about him, though. I could tell there was something making him sad. At the end of the class one day, I got the courage to walk up to him and ask him what was wrong. Ever since then, our friendship grew.**

**In the early days, I decided to test our friendship by trusting him with the secret of my wolf blood. And he passed the test with flying colors. He accepted me and even understood me, when I was in that form. After that I knew that I really could trust him with any secret of mine. Then, after he graduated, I didn't hear from him or see him at all. I'd thought he'd forgotten about me and moved on with life. **

"**Aubrey? Is that you?" His voice didn't change. It was still his voice.**

"**Uh. Hi, Xavier." My voice shook.**

"**How's everything going? I haven't seen you in a while," he said with a smile.**

"**OK? OK-ish? And I know. Seems as if you forgot about me." I let out a small laugh.**

"**Aubrey." He turned serious. "I never forgot you. I had to go live with my uncle for a while. I thought about you a lot." There was nothing but dead air and awkward silence lingering in the air between us. Xavier crossed the street and walked over to me.**

"**Shouldn't you be in school?"**

"**Yeah. . ." I looked down at my shoes, scared to make eye contact.**

"**Since when did you become a rebel? What, is school too mainstream for you?" he laughed. I couldn't help but join him in laughing. Xavier always could get me to laugh, no matter what.**

"**Say, Bree, what do you think about us hanging out tonight or tomorrow?" Before I could answer he rushed out, "It's your call. Just text me before you show up, alright?"**

"**Haha. Sure Xavier, will do." I smiled.**

**He hugged me; I had forgotten what his hugs felt like. That's something I really missed too. Once we let go, I turned away, smiling, and started running gleefully. I jumped up and landed on my paws, and looking back, I sent him a wolfish smile.**

** He looked delightfully astonished, but in a bad way, never in a bad way. "I've seen you've grown a lot." I found a trace of shock in his voice. I simply shook my head back and forth.**

** "Um, uh, I'll see ya, Aubrey." He started crossing the street, still staring at me. **

**Suddenly, a huge 18 wheeler's horn blew a deadly warning. Xavier only had time to whirl in terror. I sprinted straight for Xavier. I couldn't let anything happen to him – for as long as I can remember I've had this instinct to protect him, no matter the cost. As quick as I could, I bit onto his shirt and leaped across the rest of the road. As the truck sped off, I inadvertently tore through the flimsy fabric of Xavier's shirt in my frantic rush to get him away to safety. He slipped out onto the grass and went rolling away on the ground. I walked over to him and sniffed his face.**

** His eyes, having been squeezed shut tight, opened slowly as his breathing became more regular. "Thank you Aubrey." His hands stroked my head. "I don't know what to say, really."**

**He stood up, grabbed his ruined shirt from my mouth, and wrapped his arms around my neck.**

**Almost inside his house he turned around to face me as he admitted, "I missed you."**

** His last words echoed in my head on my way back to my house. I honestly thought Xavier left me. Why did I ever tell him that? Ugh. I feel so different, like I wanna be – not apart from him. Hmph. It's probably 'cause he almost got hit by a truck.**

**I let out a low howl just to let the pack know where I was. I phased back into my human form, walked through my front door, and followed the soft carpet up to my welcoming bedroom. I put on my fuzzy light blue PJ bottoms with a black tank top. After closing all of the curtains in my room, I fell into bed and drifted off into a deep sleep, thinking all the while, "I missed you too Xavier. More than you think."**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_**"Bree? Hey, Bree?" A voice so dreamy called out.**_

_** "Huh?" The sun's rays blinded me.**_

_** "Bree, let's go!"**_

_** "Go where?" I said, looking down at the sand. "Where am I? Who are you?" I saw a tan, manly hand reach out toward me.**_

_** "Bree, it's me. You don't recognize me?" The hand pulled me to my feet.**_

_** His voice seemed so familiar, so relaxing and confident. Who is this? I thought to myself. As the hand pulled me closer, I realized just who it was.**_

"_**Xavier ?"**_

_** His hands wrapped around my waist and a smile appeared on his face. "Well, who else did you think it was?"**_

_** "Santa Claus?" I guessed, letting out a chuckle. **_

_** "I missed you, Bree, so much. I never stopped thinking about you when I was away."**_

_**I looked behind Xavier to see where we were. It was a tropical beach. The ocean was playfully crashing on the warm sand and seagulls were soaring high above the giant palm trees. It was truly beautiful, especially the way the sun reflected off the water. I was very relaxed and at peace, and I wanted to stay there forever. I got this weary, lurking feeling that something or someone was watching me from behind. Xavier's hand gripped mine hard as I turned around. Forest, a thick, dark forest, is all I saw. I looked back at Xavier and the beach was gone, faded into trees.**_

_** "Xavier? What's going on?" I asked, trying to cover up the confusion in my voice.**_

_** "Nothing, Bree. Why?" His voice got deeper, colder.**_

_** "Your voice!" I shouted, as the howling of wolves sounded around us.**_

_**I started breathing heavily, and I a saw blood flowing steadily down the side of Xavier's face. Behind him I saw eyes, red eyes, appearing one by one. "Xavier?"**_

_**His body went stiff as if he'd seen a dead body, and his eyes were lifeless as if he was one. His body fell to the ground and there behind him I saw the blood stained mouth and dark eyes my mind could never forget. **_

_** "It's your turn." The wolf lunged, howling.**_

__**Frantically waking up, I phased and landed on the carpet of my room. What the hell?**

** "Bree!" Peyton howled.**

** Getting up, I walked to my window and pushed the curtain away with my nose, "Yeah? What's going on?" You could obviously tell I had just woken up.**

** "We have a new blood!" she said, wagging her tail.**

** "Who?" Truth be told, I wasn't as happy about this as Peyton clearly was.**

** "Come and find out." She danced around.**

**Groaning I flew out of my room, down the stairs, to the outside world. The evening air ruffled my black fur. As I looked up I could tell the sun was setting due to the colors painted in the sky. Peyton started running towards the south east board of our territory and I followed her closely. We were running for 30 minutes at least, and as we did so I couldn't help but think of my dream. Why all the sudden dreams about that wolf? Most importantly, why was Xavier apart of this dream? I let my mind wonder and wander about.**

** ". . . and you'll like him!" Peyton's voice was filled with excitement.**

** "Can you tell me who it is? Do I know them?" I didn't sound amused. I wasn't.**

** "No. I will not tell you." Peyton's laugh rang out, but soon disappeared.**

** "What's wrong?" I asked.**

** "You were having a nightmare. I could hear you. You were saying Xavier's name a lot." She slowed down and came to a stop.**

** Mimicking her, I also halted in my tracks. "I was," I admitted, though it was more like a question than a statement.**

** "Bree, I know you liked him, and still do, but . . ." her voice trailed off.**

** "No, I don't! We were just really good friends!" I said, defensive. "He moved, and we lost touch. Besides, I know I can't get involved with pure humans, so why would I even bother? " I sat down and looked at full moon in the starry night sky.**

** "I just wanted to remind you, Bree."**

"**I know, thank you." I said, shortly.**

**Our ears perked up as we heard Alpha howl a long, changing pitch. The dark air seemed to carry it throughout our territory. John and Bella answered with two middle tone howls – it sounded as though they were 10 minutes away from where we were suppose to meet. Chiming into Peyton's low howl, I heard Jazzel and Mike followed by another – the new blood. I could tell it was a male.**

**Peyton dashed off, leaving me there alone. I went back to staring at the full moon. I wasn't in a rush to meet the new member, really. Should I have been? As pre-alpha I should've been one of the first one's to greet him. I let out a sigh, knowing I shouldn't get involved with Xavier. I can't help it; he helped me out a lot back then. He understood me, which was surprising. Before him, I'd never heard of any human truly understanding half-bloods like myself.**

**Standing up, I howled at the moon, a howl I'd never heard come out of my mouth before.**

** Arriving at the huge hollow tree, where fireflies danced around, I found everyone there: Mom, Alpha, Jazzel, John, Bella, Mike, Peyton. They were surrounding a black and brown wolf.**

** "It's good to have you join our clan." Alpha seemed really happy.**

** "Thank you, Alpha." The new blood's voice showed respect.**

** "May I ask, what is your name?" Mom's was smiling.**

** "My name is Eric." The wolf's voice was humble.**

** There was a lot of, "Nice to meet you, Eric," and "Welcome to the clan, Eric," from all the other members. They were all happy to meet him and happy to have another person in the pack. Tails were wagging and there was much panting going on.**

** "Eric, I would like you to meet someone. Someone who seems to be late." Alpha's eyes looked sharply at me.**

** Ugh, well, there's another thing to the list, I thought to myself. I walked over to Alpha.**

** "Eric, this is our Pre-Alpha, Aubrey. Aubrey, this is our newest member, Eric."**

** "Hello my lady." He bowed.**

** "Just call me Aubrey." My teeth appeared. Luckily, Alpha didn't see.**

** "Yes, of course, whatever you wish." Eric shot me a cocky smile.**

** Actively ignoring him, I turned to Alpha and said, "Alpha I'm gonna start my patrol early. I'll cover the school area."**

** "You should take Eric with you," Alpha answered.**

** "Eric, you and Peyton are going on patrol together." Mom ordered, as though she'd never heard Alpha's statement. "Howl if there's anything wrong, Aubrey," she spoke and smiled at me. I nodded my head and disappeared into the night before Alpha could object.**

** It's 11:00 P.M. and the night air is still. I couldn't say that about myself.**

**I really didn't like Eric. I don't know, but there was something about him that gave off a bad vibe. I guess I'm gonna have to get used to him, though. After all, he is a part of the clan now. But, honestly, that wasn't all that was on my mind. Peyton was right. I shouldn't get involved with Xavier. I knew this, but it's really hard to resist. He was my friend, after all.**

**I reached the school grounds and decided to lie down. Should I go and hang out with him tonight? I contemplated for the longest time, and decided to just go and say hi. He probably has a girlfriend anyway. Who wouldn't want to go out with a guy with his personality?**

**Don't get involved with him, I remind myself. I got up, shook off, and made my way to his house. I thought to myself, "He's probably sleeping," but that didn't change my mind. I scratched his window like I used to a few years ago.**

** "Bree?" I heard a voice answer, and I let out a low growl.**

** "I'll be right there! Let me grab my house keys." Just like before, he sounded happy and excited. **

** Phasing to my human form, I met him at the front door. "Hey, sorry I didn't text you."**

** "Ah, don't worry about it." He let out a slight smile. "It's just nice to finally hang out again, you know what I mean?"**

** I felt a sigh escape my mouth. "Xavier, um – I can't – I'm not. . ." I looked into his dark blue eyes. "I was just stopping by, Xavier."**

** "Oh. " His expression changed from happy to hurt. Silence lingered in the air.**

** "Well thank you – for saving my life earlier. If it wasn't for you, I might have been part of the pavement."**

** "No problem, but hey, I need to get back. I'm patrolling." I said, turning around.**

** Grabbing my wrist he said, "Hey, can I ask you something before you leave?" Once again our eyes met, and goose bumps spread like wild fire all over me.**

** "Of course."**

** "Remember how awhile back you taught me about the different pitches of howls? Well, I heard one tonight, and I could have swore it was yours, but I couldn't understand what type it was. Can you tell me?"**

** "You're imagining things," I lied. How could I answer him? I mean, really. Yes, it was me, but I have no idea what my howl meant. I would have sounded really stupid.**

** "You're probably right." He studied me.**

** Later, walking away from his house, I mentally said my goodbye. I knew that that was the last time I would ever be here – my last memory with him. Numb, cold air settled around me.**

** It was 1:00 A.M when I collapsed onto my bed. That business with Xavier was probably the hardest thing I've done in a while. I let out a long sigh.**

** "Aubrey?" a gentle voice spoke.**

** "Yes?" I sat up, adjusting my eyes.**

** "You've seemed very troubled lately." It was my Mom, and she seemed quite concerned. "Will you talk to me about it? Please?"**

** "Just stressed, Mom. That's all," I said, running my fingers frustratingly through my hair.**

** She came and sat next to me. "Honey, I heard your howl. A wolf can only do that when they're confused, and lost. It's a call to its mate."**

** I hid my face between my girlish hands.**

** "Aubrey, tell me, who were you thinking of – who were you calling out to?" Curiosity consumed her voice.**

** "No one, Mom." I couldn't tell her. I know what she would say: Xavier is pure human, and you can't mix pure humans with half bloods like us. So if I knew her answer, why would I waste my breath? I know I can't be with him. It's done, over. I just want to move on.**

** "Alright, Aubrey." She didn't seem satisfied, but at least she didn't bother me further. "Alpha was talking about you and Eric getting to know each other more." She smiled sweetly. "What do you think about him?"**

** "Well." I think there's something wrong with him! my mind screamed. "I'm not really attractive to him. Besides, Peyton seems to really like him." I shrugged.**

** "Aubrey, you know you need to find a mate soon."**

** Lying back down on my bed, I let out a huge yawn. "I know, mom."**

** "You know, if you don't. . ." her voice faded out. I was completely comatose.**

** Eric's low howl rang through my ears, waking me up out of the most restful sleep I've had in a while. Groaning, I looked over at my clock. I squinted my eyes so the blurry numbers would make more sense. 2:13 in the morning. I had only had a little over an hour's worth of sleep. It was Saturday, so I could sleep in until 6! Ugh, what the hell! I pulled the pillow back over my head, and I might have gone back to sleep if my ringtone hadn't started blasting "I Like to Dance" by Hot Chelle Rae. Bleary, I clicked the green talk button.**

"**Hello?" my voice was flat.**

"**Hey!" Eric's voice echoed in my ear.**

"**How did you get my number?!" I yelled.**

"**Alpha gave it to me." I could feel a smile in his voice.**

"**Great," I mumbled.**

"**Come down here! Oh, and by the way, I like your ringtone."**

**I held the end button until my phone shut completely off. No more calls, no more interruptions. I got comfy all over again and started dozing off to sleep.**

**It wasn't long, however, until I felt a shift in the air. Something was off. My eyes flung wide opened and I unseeingly phased. A frigid hand touched my spine, sending what felt like shards of glass through my bones. Before I could think, agonizing pain was shooting through me.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

** I let out a painful yelp, and tears formed in my eyes. My mind screamed, Who's there?! But the words weren't strong enough to meet my mouth. The pain became overpowering, causing me to phase back into my human form. **

"**Aubrey, what the hell is wrong with you?" Eric laughed, but it was more than just a playful laugh.**

** "What the hell is wrong with me? What the hell is wrong with you?!" I screamed through my tears. A deep growl entered my room, but my tears made my vision blurry so I couldn't make out who it was. I heard a body hit the carpet.**

** "Alicia! I-it's me, Eric. I'm not an intruder!" he cried out.**

** Mom walked over to where I had collapsed and started sniffing me and licking my face to reassure me that everything was alright. She got off my bed, phased to her human form and flicked on the light. It'd been a long time since I saw Mom in her human form. She and Alpha are almost always in wolf form because they patrol the area constantly. She was skinny and lean, totally could be a model. Her platinum hair reached her thigh and blended in white her pale skin.**

** "What happened?" Authority was thick in her voice. **

** "I went to wake her up. I touched her back and she freaked out." Eric shrugged, but he seemed shaken in her presence.**

** Mom's light blue eyes landed on me. "Aubrey?"**

** I looked at Eric. He knew what happened, what I felt. Why didn't he tell her?**

** "Yeah, he scared me." And why couldn't I tell her?**

** "Alright. Eric, you are dismissed." Eric quickly got up and left. Mom never really acted like an alpha unless her pups were in danger or she was in charge of a hunt. Besides that, she acted like a mom: sweet, upbeat, caring, and very sympathetic. **

** "Aubrey?"**

** "Yes?" I said finally standing to my feet.**

** "Was that all that happened? Tell me the truth." She was stern.**

** "Yes. That's all that happened. I got spooked, nothing more," I said, trying not to remember the pain I felt. **

** Nodding her head she came over and gave me a hug. "You scared me. I never heard you cry out like that."**

** "Sorry, Mom." There were a lot of things that I'd been doing that I'd never done before. Lying, skipping school, just overall acting out of character. **

** Mom's gentle arms held me closer. "I have good news for you. The Shadowing Lights is tomorrow, and I'm giving you $300 to spend. That means buying a dress. I gave you extra for clothes and shoes. Oh, and a haircut."**

** I sighed. Shadowing Lights is a festival that is held every 6 months. It's where all Pre-Alphas go to mix and mingle in hopes that they will get to find their mate. "Aubrey, your hair's covering your face. I really miss seeing your eyes, too. So it stands you'll get a haircut."**

** "Ok, Mom." Matter of fact, I really didn't want one. I liked hiding my eyes. It made me seem less strange to pure humans. They never understood what we were here for. I honestly didn't either. **

** "Good." She smiled. "You should go back to bed. When you wake up, go grab Peyton. I'm giving you two the day off of patrol."**

** "Thank you." I smiled, lay back down, and drifted off once again to a restless sleep.**

** Some time later I opened my eyes to the sounds of birds chirping. Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes and let out a huge yawn. Moving my bangs from my face, I looked at the clock, which read 8:04 A.M. I reached for my phone and turned it on. I found Peyton's number, hitting send.**

** "Hello?" Peyton's voice was bubbly.**

** "Hey! Guess what?" I said, smiling. I loved when was bubbly.**

** "What?"**

** "You're not patrolling today."**

** "Really? Why do you say that?" She sounded shocked.**

** "Because we're going on a shopping trip. Mom wants me to go to Shadowing Lights."**

** "New wardrobe?" Excitement filled her voice.**

** "Yes."**

** "When?"**

** "Maybe we can meet at the mall in about an hour and a half, OK?"**

** "Totally! I'll see you then, girl!" She hung up the phone before I could tell her what had happened between me and Eric.**

** But no matter. I got out of bed and cheerfully walked over to my dresser. I felt unusually happy this morning, even after what happened earlier with Eric, and even though I hadn't been able to get a lot of sleep. I couldn't explain it. I felt as though something good was going to happen.**

** I opened my dresser and shuffled through to find a v-neck short sleeved black shirt and dark fade jeans. After taking my PJS off, I tossed them into the laundry basket beside my dresser and got dressed. I walked into the bathroom, splashed cold water on my face and brushed my teeth. ". . .What the hell is wrong with you?" my mind echoed. My body stiffened when the memory of the pain flashed back into my head.**

** "What was that?" I asked, looking up at myself in the mirror. Something inside tingled. I didn't have any clue as to what Eric did, but one thing's for sure: I wasn't going to let him hurt anyone in the pack. I felt a strange power fill my veins; it actually felt nice. I looked at my reflection to see my eyes changing. They showed the power and destruction that Alpha's eyes showed, but they also showed concern and protectiveness like my mother's.**

** A huge knock on my front door disrupted my getting ready. "Who is it?" I yelled.**

** "It's Peyton." I felt the smile in her voice.**

** "Come in." What was Peyton doing here? She was supposed to meet me at the mall.**

** "Aubrey!" Peyton gave me a hug once she was in. "I know you told me to meet you at the mall. . ." She walked in with a bag, ". . . but I wanted you to look hot." She spoke as if she already knew what I was wearing.**

** "We're only going to the mall, Peyton. I don't need to look hot."**

** "You never know who you'll meet." She smiled.**

** "Fine." I huffed.**

** Peyton led me into the bathroom and sat me on the toilet.**

** "We have to do something with that hair," she said, ruffling it. "Hmm." She opened her bag of wonder and pulled out scissors.**

** "You're gonna cut my hair?!" I raised my voice.**

** "Yes, now shush." Before I could argue, she began.**

** Seeing tons of hair falling all over, I closed my eyes. What's the worst that can happen? Right. Right? I tried, unsuccessfully, to fool myself into believing that. **

** "Aubrey, you can open your eyes," Peyton laughed. **

** Opening my eyes, I saw a good size hand mirror in her hands. Mouth wide open, I beheld I my new side bangs – ones that didn't cover my eyes at all – and short choppy layers, with my longest layer reaching just below my bra line. **

** "When did you – How did. . ." I was completely shocked. Since when, I wondered, did she know how to cut hair?**

** "Don't worry." Peyton was too confident. "Here, take this and change. I wanna get going already!" she exclaimed, handing me the bag. I was so shocked to see the amazing job she did on my hair that I couldn't move.**

** "Bree?" She tapped me on my shoulder.**

** "Oh, yeah. Um, thanks, Peyton." I cleared my throat and went to go change.**

** When I was done, I walked back into the bathroom and looked at my outfit. I was wearing light washed shorts and a white striped tank top with a blue and white striped baggy half shirt that hung slanted on my shoulder. It had the word "LOVE" on it. Peyton smiled and handed me a zebra studded belt and black flip flops.**

** Putting them on, I said, "Wow, Peyton. I can't recognize myself."**

** "See? I told you not to worry. Now, lets go get your single girl swag on." She smiled.**

** Much later, we both walked out of Deb empty handed. I couldn't find anything in there that I actually liked. Peyton, on the other hand, had found tons and tons of clothes that she thought would look really good on me. Secretly, I knew she was probably right. I did, however, find a dress. It was a strapless which ended three and a half inches above my knee cap. It was neon blue in color with a black bow around the stomach and black lace trimming on the top and bottom. Peyton wanted me to get it, but I didn't. I figured if I didn't get a dress, Mom wouldn't make me go to Shadowing Lights. I sighed, hopeful.**

** "Bree? Is that . . .? Since when did he . . .?" She kept trailing off, and her face seemed shocked.**

** "What? Who?" I followed her stare. "Oh. Oh, no." Our eyes met and my insides started tingling. I felt butterflies, and time seemed to stop.**

** "Hey there, Aubrey." His voice was smooth, his tone casual.**

** Peyton slyly stepped on my foot. "Uh. Um. Hi, Xavier."**

** Effortlessly, a smile was there. "Hello, Peyton."**

** "Hiya, Xavier." Peyton gave him a fake smile.**

** Still retaining his smile, he looked at me. "What's with the new hair?"**

** "Nothing. Ha, Mom wants me to go to Shadowing Lights."**

** Xavier's smile disappeared. "Oh." He knew what Shadowing Lights was. I know because I'm the one who told him, long ago. When I was younger I used to talk about going there all the time. I heard from legend that it was beautiful up there, especially when it reached twilight.**

** "Yeah, and we are very pressed for time, Xavier. Bree still needs to find a dress." Peyton added in.**

** "Well. I'm sorry, Bree. I didn't know you were in a rush." Xavier was hurt. I could tell by his eyes.**

** "It's –"**

** "Don't worry about it," Peyton interrupted me. "Maybe she'll have time to catch you later?" she said, grabbing me by the hand and pulling me away.**

** Just then I experienced an oddly familiar feeling, deep inside me. I'd felt it when I howled to the moon that night. Hmm. What is it about Xavier? Really. Every time I'm around him, I feel at peace, like I can take on the world. I feel complete, confident.**

** A deadly scream sounded all around us, echoing throughout the halls and causing all of the shoppers to whirl in terror. Instinctively, Peyton and I phased into our wolf forms.**

** Just then, it hit me. The awful smell. The smell of blood. **

** Dodging the people running every which way, we tried to make our way to the location that our noses were telling us to go. Soon, something came into sight, something that ought never to be found in a shopping mall. There stood a dark gray wolf with crimson eyes. My own eyes moved down to his mouth, which was covered with a mixture of stale and fresh blood. **

** That's when the realization of it all finally hit me. "Peyton, get the others. Now!" Authority rang in my voice, but Peyton didn't move. She stood there, motionless.**

** "Peyton!" I growled angrily. "Move! Now!"**

** At this she fled with great speed. Once she was away, I ran and lunged at the strange, red-eyed wolf. Swiftly, he moved out of the line of attack and faced me. Inhaling deeply, I charged toward him, power consumed me as I pounced again at him. This time, I pinned the devious creature to the ground.**

** "Why are you doing this? Why are you killing innocent people?" I demanded, growling.**

** Not an answer but a laugh came from his mouth.**

** "Answer me!" I snarled, digging my nails into his muscular chest.**

** Still laughing, he only looked me in the eye, and said, "You must be new at this."**

** He flipped me over with ease and put his weight on my chest. "You see, little pup. It's really quite simple. Deliciously simple. I kill people because –" But he never finished, and instantly, the weight was gone off my chest.**

** A deadly bark came from Alpha's mouth as he came between me and the demented wolf. "Don't. You EVER! Touch my daughter again!" **

** "Luke." The bloodstained wolf sounded charmed. "Nice to meet you again."**

** "I told you, Eli. You had one chance and you blew it. Now it's time to face your consequence." Alpha's teeth were inches from Eli's neck and getting closer. **

** The walk home was silent.**

** I couldn't believe what I had just seen. I never knew that an Alpha had the right to do that. I knew you could run wolves out of your territory, and exile wolves from your own pack, if need be. But I never knew you could kill another wolf. It didn't seem moral.**

** Alpha walked beside me instead of taking his rightful place in front of me. It was a respect thing: the Alpha walks in front at all times, and you do not go ahead of them or walk beside them unless asked to. And I was not asked to. **

** "Aubrey. . ." Alpha's voice with calm and soothing.**

** "Yes?" My voice could barely be heard.**

** "I think it's about time you know."**

** He took me to a field of tall grass that stretched far above my head. "Aubrey, there's more to being a wolf than we've taught you so far."**

** I stood there in a perfect respectful posture, my spine curved, my chest out, and my nose pointed straight in front of me. "I see." A dry lump formed in my throat.**

** "It's my fault," he continued. "I should have told you this a long time ago, before I made you Pre-Alpha." Alpha growled at his own failure. "You see, we are the protectors of humankind. The wolf I killed tonight was part of a malevolent pack called the Sons of Ebony. Their only mission in life is to kill off the human race." His voice was low.**

** "Why? Why do they kill innocent people." I bared my sharp canines.**

** "That, Aubrey, I cannot answer. But they're getting stronger and coming closer to our territory. That's why we need to start training you better. You also need to start making plans for the pack: deciding who'll be your Beta, who's staying or leaving the pack, and who your mate's going to be."**

** "I know. Everything sounds easy – except for finding a mate."**

** "Aubrey, you know if you want your pack to survive, you need to find a mate. I'm giving you a month from today. After that I will choose for you."**

** "Yes, Alpha."**

** Alpha came over to me and licked my forehead. This was the closest we've ever been.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

** 3:00 A.M. and I'm already at the lake, standing on the high ridges. For once, I'm the first wolf there. Standing here alone made me think about Xavier and how much I missed the old times. How everything was so easy and free. How I didn't have to worry about Betas or mates. It was just him and me at peace. Those were the days.**

**Lost in such thoughts, I laid down along the edge of the ridges, scanning the horizon.**

** "What are you doing here this early?" Alpha's voice was sharp, making me jump.**

** "W-well." I inhaled deeply, gathering all my confidence. "You told me it's time to start planning out the pack, and so I am. Today, during the ceremony, I plan to settle it." Putting my tail between my legs I waited for him to rip me to shreds.**

** Alpha's eyes light up and I thought I saw a smile spread across his face. "Well now, Aubrey. All you had to do was ask. Sound an emergency meeting."**

** I think I must have looked surprised. "Yes, of course." I did as I was instructed. One by one I saw my packmates appear.**

** "I've called you all here today to discuss the future plans of the pack. As it stands, I've decided on my Beta. Peyton, please come stand by me." Peyton's seemed astonished, and did as she was told. Once she was beside me, I continued, "Peyton you have been very loyal, trustworthy, and there. When the new pack arises I want you to be the second in charge, my Beta. Do you accept?"**

** "Yes!" she barked happily.**

** "Interesting." Alpha said. **

** Both Peyton and I looked at him questioningly. "Usually, an Alpha picks the strongest member of the pack," Alpha explained. "I'm not suggesting your choice is wrong, young Alpha . . ." 'Young Alpha'? When did I get that name? ". . .but it's interesting." **

** "Yes, indeed, Aubrey," my mom chimed in.**

** I steeled myself. "Alpha, Mom, I'm ready for my trial." My voice was strong and confident. A trial is a test; a test for a Pre-Alpha to prove their readiness to take on the responsibilities of looking after a pack.**

** "Young Alpha, are you sure?" Alpha's eyes studied me.**

** "Aubrey, darling, I think you should wait for a little bit." Mom sounded concerned.**

"**I'm sure. My Beta and I are ready for the trials." I looked at Alpha directly.**

"**You haven't been Pre-Alpha for more than a week yet, and Peyton hasn't been a wolf for a long time." Alpha sounded doubtful. "But if you feel ready and if you're more than willing to take on the trials, then why not?" I could have sworn I saw a tiny smile cross his face.**

**I bowed my head in respect and thanks.**

"**But you need at least 3 members." I felt as though mother was trying to postpone the trials.**

"**Ah, yes. That's right. Young Alpha, Eric will accompany you." He clearly thought this would be a great time to get to know him. I thought differently.**

**I inhaled angrily, for the rules had become clear. No Eric, no trials. "Yes. Of course." Looking over the pack, I commanded, "Eric. You and Peyton shall go with me to face this trial. Tonight we shall leave." Turning my attention back to my father, I asked, "Alpha, when will we be returning?"**

"**In one week." Alpha was definitely not going easy on me. I had a week to survive away from the pack. In that time I had to make sure I could command Peyton and Eric, provide food and shelter for the three of us, and, of course, protect them. **

**I nodded to show I understood my mission. Closing the meeting, I let out a howl, and for once in my life, I felt in charge of the pack.**

** It's 11:30 P.M. and Alpha has led the three of us to the outskirts of our territory.**

"**You have one week, Young Alpha. You are now considered an outsider and we will treat you as such, until this week is up. Good luck." It felt like I was getting exiled. Alpha was right, though. I have to start planning the pack's future, and this will show he didn't pick the wrong wolf.**

"**Peyton, Eric." Both of the wolves' eyes were on me. "It's time. Let's go." Walking out of our, I mean, of Alpha's territory felt horrible. I began to wonder, Am I ready for this? Anything could go wrong. A wolf could die, or we could starve, or my pack-mates could abandon me. If they do leave me, they can go to back to the pack with no problem, and I would have to remain lonesome till the last day of the trial. Before we disappeared completely into the night, I stopped to glance behind me. Alpha was still there, staring at me. It was like he was second guessing his decision to let me do this. Mom joined him, licking his jaw and then staring at me. He bowed his head for a moment and then looked back at me, a wolf's salute. On that note, I let out a bark and fled with my two pack-mates following behind.**

**We'd been running for more than 3 hours when finally I allowed myself some rest. I fell to the ground, feeling more exhausted than I'd felt in a long time. Peyton was right by my side in a flash while Eric kept a safe distance from me.**

"**Bree?" I could tell she was tired too. I could hear her legs crying to stop.**

"**I'm fine. Just resting," I assured.**

"**You sure?" I could hear her panting over me.**

"**Yeah. Eric." I glanced over to where he was standing.**

"**Yes, Alpha?"**

"**Sniff around and make sure this area isn't taken by anything. Report back in 5 minutes. Go." I barked.**

"**Aubrey, what's wrong?" Peyton asked once Eric was gone. I couldn't help but smile. Peyton was taking this whole change so seriously.**

"**Nothing, I'm just stressed. That's all, help me stand up." It sounded more like a command than a question. Peyton didn't object, and she let me lean on her until I was standing on all fours and was balanced. **

"**I know I'm just a Beta, Aubrey, but I would like to suggest something." She shivered, probably thinking I was going to pin her to the ground. When I didn't say anything she went on, "I think we should rest until the sun breaks."**

**Standing on my own, I kept my eyes sweeping around us "Agreed." **

**Eric popped out from behind a tree. "We're all clear, Alpha."**

"**Alright. We're going to rest here until morning, so keep all your senses on high alert. We'll do watch duties in shifts, starting with Eric." I looked at both of them and then sluggishly made my way to a huge willow tree to lie down at the base. Peyton jumped onto one of the two huge roots that stuck up out of the ground while Eric sat on the other. My eyes started getting extremely heavy and I drifted off to a light sleep.**

**I slept well, considering the fact that I fell asleep in my wolf form. The base of the tree seemed to wrap around me perfectly. The air tickled my nose with the scent of deer, making my stomach rumble. I was definitely hungry. My ears flicked back and forth to zone in on the prey to see if it was worth getting up to hunt. Buck, 7 pointer, and close enough to get up for. Uncoiling my body, I stretched, and then walked over to where Peyton was resting. I used my nose to nudge her ever so slightly in order to wake her. She stirred, rose, and shook quietly.**

"**Buck, 7 pointer," I explained. "Get Eric while I go see how we'll bring it down." She nodded and went off I walked over to the grass which completely over me even at my full height. I looked over a hill to a field where deer were grazing. The male deer fed alone at the bottom of the hill, clearly an easy kill. Peyton and Eric came up along side of me.**

"**What's the plan, Aubrey?" I could hear Peyton stomach rumbling.**

"**I thought you didn't like raw meat?" I wagged my tail, obviously busting on her. **

"**Well, I'm really hungry." She smiled.**

"**Alright, Peyton. You're the runner, I'm the catcher and Eric . . ."**

"**. . .I'm the weight." He didn't sound amused.**

"**Yes." I bared my teeth at him.**

"**I- I don't think I should be the runner, Aubrey." Peyton sounded uneasy.**

"**Peyton, you'll do fine. I promise."**

"**I lose them easily in the chase. They're so unpredictable, Bree." She acted like she was already defeated.**

"**Listen Peyton. Watch their body language. You'll get him, I know you will." **

"**I say we don't chance it. I'm a really good catcher and your father said you were a good runner." Eric objected.**

**I let out a low growl. "I'm in charge, do you hear me?! You're the weight, and that's the end of it."**

"**Whatever," he scoffed.**

**I snapped at him and bit his ear enough for him to yelp but not enough for him to bleed. "I am Alpha and you WILL obey me." I made the last part clear as day.**

"**Yes, Alpha." With his tail between his legs, he took off to position himself for the kill.**

"**Remember, body language. Lead him towards that tree." I pointed with my nose. "You'll see when I'm ready. You'll do great." I wagged my tail and ventured to my position. I took a spot right by the tall oak tree, making myself visible only to Peyton. I glanced at Peyton and nodded my head, signaling her to go for it. Just like that, she was out of sight. Show time.**

**I focused all of my attention on the Buck, and my adrenaline kicked in. I could already taste the blood in my mouth. I was so hungry. The alarmed buck's head shot straight up, scanning his surroundings. Don't do it, Peyton, my mind yelled. Don't, not yet! But I saw the grass move and the buck's eyes were fixed on that spot. I bared my teeth. Peyton, don't move, my mind yelled again.**

**As if she'd heard my thoughts, the hazel wolf stopped moving. The buck flicked its ears back and forth, and then faced away from the tall thick grass. My tongue rolled out of my mouth and I went into a pant. I could just taste the warm blood running down my throat and the soft tender meat in my mouth, and I just couldn't stay still. I saw some hazel fur as Peyton crouched down, ready to launch. I could see her tense up, but just before she made her move, the whole heard of deer jetted off, bringing my attention off the buck.**

**I looked angrily to see what was causing the distraction. A light red wolf was chasing after a doe, which lead the wolf into a solid wall of bucks. The wolf yelped and phased into a human girl. She was very skinny, and her hair was of a light red color, and she had light brown eyes. Eric was there in human form next to this outsider before my brain could process anything further than her immediate appearance. I abandoned my now-useless position by the tree, growling and barking angrily, phasing in a matter of seconds. My eyes fixed on Eric. **

"**Who the hell told you to abandon your position?!" I felt my blood start to boil.**

"**Alpha, she's one of us," he started to argue.**

"**I don't care what you think. I told you to take position."**

"**But –"**

"**Your future is looking pretty slim in this pack, Eric." I wished I could have fought him. You do not disobey your Alpha, and Eric was disobeying me more than any Alpha would put up with.**

** "Peyton." I called out, looking at this new, confused girl. Peyton's human form came out from the tall grass.**

** As Peyton approached, I growled at the redheaded girl, "Who are you, and who do you belong to?" I did not hesitate to show this girl my powerful rank. **

** Her eyes were screaming for mercy.**

** "I'm going to ask again. Who are you, and who do you belong to." I glared at her.**

** "My – my name's Shay." Her voice was shaking terribly. "And I don't know who I belong to. I don't even know what I am." Shay started tearing up.**

** "Look what you're doing to her!" Eric interrupted.**

** "Peyton, take him back to the tree. I'll deal with you later, Eric." Peyton did as instructed.**

** Once they were gone, I continued. "Tell me what happened?" I had calmed a bit, now that Eric had gone. My voice was soft as velvet.**

** Shay looked down at the ground.**

** "You have nothing to be ashamed of, Shay."**

** "I – don't know exactly how it happened. B-but one night, on a full moon, I remember, my senses started to – sharpen. I felt things I'd never felt before, and I could see perfectly in the dark. My parents said I was sick and told me to not think about it, but – it got worse." Her voice trailed off.**

** "Worse. Meaning you turned into a wolf," I guessed.**

** "Yes." Tears were steadily falling from her face.**

** "Shay, this isn't something to be ashamed of."**

** "That's not what bothers me the most. M-my parents were there when I turned into a wolf. That night, they took me out here and dropped me off. They told me that they could never raise a wild animal and that they could never love such a horrid beast." Her hand went into a fist.**

** "You're not a horrid beast," I assured her. "You are a protector." Shay looked at me, and I continued. "See, a lot of people are confused about why we exist. Some people think we were a science experiment gone wrong. Others believe we are here to punish them for their wrong doings. We're not. We're here to protect them from the unknown."**

** "Well, why has this happened to me? Why was I picked?!" Her voice cracked.**

** "I wonder the same thing too, sometimes. It's happened, though, so now you need to figure out what you're doing." Her eyes met mine.**

** "What I'm doing?"**

** "Yes. You can come with me and join my pack. We'll show you how to be a wolf and protect humanity, or you can be a loner."**

** Her voice was low. "I would like to join your pack."**

** "Good. " I let out a smile. "I'm the Alpha of this pack. So you listen and report to me only." I took her hand to help her up.**

** "I understand."**

** I phased into my wolf form, as did Shay, and we both took off up the hill to the huge tree.**

** "Eric." I barked.**

** He appeared from behind the tree. "Yes, Alpha."**

** "You're on a 12 hour shift of patrol." I order.**

** "But –" he objected.**

** "Oh, and hunt watch. Any other jobs you want?"**

** "No."**

** "Great." I smiled, "Dismissed." Eric disappeared.**

** "Peyton."**

** "Yes?"**

** "This is Shay. Shay, this is Peyton, my Beta, second in command."**

** "Hello," Shay smiled shyly.**

** "Hey." Peyton wagged her tail.**

** "Peyton, I want you to show Shay the basics of being a wolf. Can you do that for me?"**

** "Sure!" She sounded absolutely delighted. "Let's go, Shay!" The two wolves vanished into the forest.**

** It was 12:00 p.m., and I found myself laying next to a slow flowing river, lost in my thoughts. I thought to keep the pack at this size for now, plus Shay once she learns everything about being a wolf. There was something about her that told me she was good.**

** My mind shifted to Eric. Really, what the hell is wrong with him? Why was he acting with such disrespect? Did it have something to do with the other night, when I felt the pain jolting through my body? I shivered. One thing's for sure: I need to find out more about him before I completely confirm his acceptance into this new pack.**

** And then there was the other issue. I looked up to the clouds. What am I going to do about a mate? My heart started to ache and I laid my head across my folded paws. What am I to do?**

** "Bree?" A voice lingered around me.**

** "Yeah?"**

** "Eric got a doe." Peyton came around from behind me.**

** "Thanks, Peyton."**

** "Anytime. What are you thinking about?" She lay down next to me.**

** "Finding a mate." Silence fell around us.**

** "Why don't you give Eric a chance?"**

** "'Cause. You like him, and besides he's not on my good side at this moment." I looked at the fish in the river.**

** "So what? If it means the pack, then I don't care. I'd rather choose the pack than my heart." She licked my paw to bring my attention back to her. "Give him a chance, Bree. He's good. I know it."**

** Well, it's good that she thinks that, along with everyone else in my father's pack. I know better. There's more to him than they think. Giving him a chance, though, doesn't sound like a bad idea. Maybe he'll spill the beans about what happened the other day.**

** "Alright. Let's go, Peyton. I'm hungry."**

** Ripping the last juicy, blood-filled morsel from the leg of the doe, I swallowed and felt it traveling down to my stomach. I licked my lips, quite satisfied with my meal. **

** "Peyton, Shay." Their ears locked onto my voice.**

** "You're free to do as you please. Eric, patrol with me."**

** Shock appeared in his eyes, but he accepted. "Sure." All I could think, however, was What am I getting myself into.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

** It's about 2:00 P.M., Eric's walking respectfully behind me, and it's been silent for about 45 minutes. I don't want to be that evil 'my way or no way' sort of Alpha, but if my packmates won't respect me as their leader, then what am I am supposed to do? Maybe I took punishing Eric too hard. I don't know.**

** "Alpha?" Eric interrupted my thoughts.**

** "Yes?" I stopped walking and faced the black and brown wolf.**

** "Sorry about disrespecting you, really."**

** I became serious. "Eric, tell me. What happened that night?" The words poured out of my mouth before I had time to realize what I was saying.**

** He bared his teeth, but soon they disappeared back behind his lips. "I don't know. I honestly don't. I've had that issue with my other packs as well. The Alphas found out and they each exiled me." His light brown eyes locked on mine.**

** "How many packs have you been in?" I asked.**

** "Five."**

** "I'm sorry." I meant it. I could imagine the isolation he must have felt. That's got to be really hard on a wolf, moving a lot like that. Not having a pack to belong to.**

** "I was nervous when that happened that night. I didn't want Alpha to find out. Frankly, I'm sick of moving." Eric lay down.**

** "So why were you so disrespectful towards me?"**

** "It's just – I've been in and out of so many packs that sometimes I forget that I have an Alpha and that I have to respect his or her authority."**

** "Must have been crazy, moving packs so often." I couldn't help but feel like a complete jerk. I felt so disgusted with myself.**

** "It was, but I got to see some beautiful places." Eric sat up and scratched his ear with his back leg.**

** "I'll bet you have." I heard the jealousy in my voice.**

** Eric's tail started wagging. "Maybe I could show you a spot I found? It's magnificent, and it's close to your father's territory – well, I would have to show you when the trial's up, of course."**

** "Maybe." My heart began to ache once more.**

** It was 7:36 P.M. when we reached the huge tree that we had unofficially claimed as our den. Eric took his spot on the farthest root that stuck up from the ground and began to drift into a heavy slumber. I howled to rally the others and waited patiently for a response or movement. Shay and Peyton soon appeared together out of the brush.**

** "Hey, Bree." Peyton shook.**

** "Hiya, Peyton." I glanced at Shay and greeted her as well. "Hello, Shay."**

** "Hello, Alpha." She bowed her head down.**

** "Peyton, why don't you and Shay sleep for a while? I'll be out on patrol."**

** "No, it's fine, Bree. Really."**

** "Get rest. It's an order." I looked into her green eyes.**

** "Yes, Alpha."**

** I had to let my father know that everything was OK. I just didn't know if he would hear my call.**

**I found the highest possible hill and let out a huge, long, low howl. Minutes went by and I heard nothing, just the crickets chirping and the night wind. Snap! I threw my body into a 180, now facing behind me in a protective stance. My body was low to the ground, ready to attack if needed. I bared my teeth.**

** "Aubrey? Is – is that you?" My heart stopped. I would know that voice anywhere.**

** I barked twice, and the voice answered, "It is! Aubrey, you had me for a second. I thought I was dog food."**

** Phasing, I ran towards the figure. "Ha-ha, very funny, Xavier! You're lucky I wasn't hungry."**

** "Hey, now." He laughed.**

** "What are you doing here?"**

** "Camping."**

** A smile that was invisible to his eyes spread across my face. "Never knew you camp here."**

** "Well, that river over there has so many fish in it. They say there are supposed to be rare deer around here, also." He whispered the last part.**

** "Oops."**

** "Tell me you haven't hunted any?!"**

** "Aha…"**

** "Aubrey!" Xavier cried.**

** "Oh, relax, nature-boy. Really, we only ate one. Besides, if you were in the pack, you would have eaten more than just one." I countered.**

** Dropping the deer thing, he asked, "Wait, why are you out of your territory, anyway? Is there food scarcity there? Is that why you're hungry?" Concern rang in his voice.**

** "Wrong. I'm on the trial. One week." I sighed.**

** "You're Alpha now?"**

** "Yeah, And Peyton is my Beta." I laughed.**

** "What have I been missing?" He frowned.**

** "A lot. . ." My voice trailed off.**

** "Um, hey, remember that one time I saw a shooting star and you didn't? You called me a lair."**

** "And you still are." I added playfully.**

** "Remember what you said after it?" Xavier waited for my response. **

** "Yeah – uh," I stuttered. I remembered all right. All of a sudden, I felt nervous. "I said that shooting stars aren't real. And, then, you said if you see one you must kiss me." I looked at him.**

** "Correct." He smiled.**

** "What are you smiling about?"**

** Xavier simply pointed to the night sky, my eyes fixed on where he was pointing. Nothing was there but the moon, engulfed by the dark sky.**

** "No shooting star."**

** "No." He still had that smile planted on his face.**

** "Am I missing something?" I asked, alarmed.**

** "Yes." Xavier met my lips and warmth exploded from his lips through my veins. I couldn't help myself, and my hands found their spot on the crease of his lower neck, and his hands found their spot on my waist. It was like lava touching my skin, burning. I wanted more. **_**I wanted more.**_

**Xavier stopped, though, and pointed up. In a haze, I tried to focus my sight on the sky. A bright star flew across it. "Now you must kiss me." Xavier didn't have to ask twice, and my lips were already locked onto his. This time, my own power flooded my veins. It was truly amazing. I wanted Xavier, everything. But you can't! my mind yelled, bringing me back to my senses. I ripped away from him and fell to my knees.**

** A shadow appeared and jolted toward Xavier. Phasing quickly I jumped in front of this dark creature and took a blow from its mighty jaws. I let out a painful yelp, and scrambling to my knees, my eyes focused on the shape. It was a wolf; he looked uncannily like me, but he had a scar over his left eye.**

** I howled an alert and looked him in his bloody eyes. "Who are you?"**

** He jolted toward Xavier again and I was hit once more trying to protect him. This time the black wolf had me pinned to the ground with his teeth around my neck closing down slowly. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't howl, I couldn't bite back. I was lying there, struggling, defenseless. In an attempt to break free, I put my paw on his chest and tried to push him off me. But I had no strength, nothing. The world started spinning and my vision was blurry. I started slipping away; I felt my limbs going numb and my heart rate drop dramatically. I heard in the distance a growl and I felt the pressure lift off my chest. What the hell is going on?**

** "Bree?"**

** "Bree?" The voice was louder.**

** "Bree?!" I couldn't really hear over the yelping, growling, and barking in the background.**

** "Aubrey, answer me, please." I heard a whimper.**

** "You are a great Alpha and an amazing friend. Don't leave me. Hang on. Hang on. . ." The voice disappeared.**

** I felt my human head moving up and down. I could feel my limbs again, and I opened my eyes slowly, "Xavier?" I heard my weak voice.**

** "No, it's Eric?"**

** "What's happened to Xavier?" I really didn't know how Eric was hearing me, I couldn't even hear myself.**

** "We brought him back to his camp. He packed up and left."**

** "What about that wolf?" I tried to yell.**

** "He got away."**

** "Did he say anything?" **

** "He's going to make it his destiny to kill that human boy."**

** Ahh Hell!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

** "We need to do something, Peyton. We do to do something now." I paced back and forth on my four legs.**

** "What should we do, Bree?"**

** "I don't know." I sat on the ground by the river. The water flowed smoothly; nothing disturbed the light blue current. "All I know is, I need to protect him."**

** "Bree, Alpha's pack will protect him. You know that." Her eyes were locked on mine.**

** "I know, but there's something inside me that's telling me to be by him." I looked in the river to see my reflection.**

** "You like him, don't you?" She accused. No, I can't! my mind yelled again. My heart felt as though it would fall out of my chest at any moment.**

** "No. He's been my friend since we were young. You know that." I raised my voice, getting frustrated with myself.**

** "So, what were you doing with him?" Peyton snapped back.**

** "He was camping! I ran into him, that's all!"**

** "Now that I think about it, he seems to be around you a lot lately. The mall, here. I think that's interesting." She said, keeping her accusing tone.**

** I bared my teeth. "Peyton, you're pushing it. I don't like him!"**

** "Right. And fish can't swim."**

** "Beta, round up other two and meet me on the edge of Alpha's territory. I'm gonna get a head start," I ordered, done with her.**

** "But, Bree –"**

** "It's an order!" I cut her off. Peyton could tell I wasn't putting up with her and her finger-pointing. I had other things to worry about. Peyton and I went our own ways.**

** As I approached Alpha's territory, a wave of relief washed over me when didn't get a scent of the wolf that attacked me. Thank god. Don't worry, Xavier, I'll do whatever I have to. I let out a howl and within seconds Alpha was at the border.**

** "Alpha, I know I'm on trial, but there was an attack." I sounded just like an actual Alpha.**

** "So I've heard. It was the Sons of Ebony, wasn't it?" His voice was concerned.**

** "Yes, father."**

** "Hmm. I – think it's time to call upon the Oswego clan." He practically choked on his words.**

**I just stood there, staring at him. I knew Father hated calling for help, but he knew that his clan could be in great danger. "My clan and I will go talk to the Oswego's Alpha," I suggested. **

"**I think that's a great idea, Aubrey." Now he's calling me by my name? Things are definitely changing.**

"**Father, I ask of you, May Xavier take the journey with us? " I sounded helpless.**

"**I don't know, I think that's quite risky." Alpha looked in my eyes.**

"**Alpha, the Sons of Ebony are expecting him to either be here on your territory, or at his campsite. They wouldn't guess he's with us, and if they do, we will have our clan to back us up." I tried to make a crappy excuse off the top of my head. Alpha didn't answer right away. He just looked at the ground. **

"**Alpha?"**

"**That's a good plan, Aubrey. You will lead this clan well, when your time comes." Tears were falling from his eyes. "When you reach the Oswego clan, ask to speak with Ren."**

"**Thank you, father. I'll go and grab Xavier, and then we'll be on our way." As soon as I finished my sentence, Alpha disappeared. My own clan appeared from the brush, looking more confused than ever.**

"**We are going to seek help from the Oswego clan," I clarified.**

"**No!" Eric growled angrily.**

"**Eric, it's the Alpha's order," Shay said shyly. **

**Eric snapped at her, and Shay's ears went back and her tail tucked between her legs. "I will not be part of this!" he asserted.**

"**STOP IT!" I barked. "I don't care what you want to be a part of. You're a part of this clan, so whatever I say goes, and from now on, whoever has a problem with that will face the consequences. Understood?!"**

"**Yes, Alpha." Every wolf bowed their head.**

"**Good. Beta, you and Eric are staying here. Watch out for the Sons of Ebony. Shay, you're coming with me. We need to go get something before we leave." Peyton turned her back on me and sat down. I knew she was mad at me; there was no doubt about that. Maybe I'd been a little hard on everyone. I mean, really, I'm stressed out more than usual. I sighed. What am I to do?**

"**Let's go, Shay." The little light red wolf was right behind me. I knew I would let Shay into the new pack. She's very loyal and I got the feeling she's extremely smart but just too shy to show it sometimes.**

**Shay was taking in the surroundings of the place she would one day live in and be part of. She spoke quietly, "Alpha, what exactly are we doing? I-if you don't mind me asking." Her voice was low.**

"**We're going to grab Xavier. My father and I decided it would be best for him if he came with us." I smiled at her.**

"**I have another question." She seemed a little hesitant. "Why can't people like us fall in love with regular people?" I could tell Shay was afraid of asking because she knew I loved Xavier. She also knew the situation, the rules: we couldn't be together.**

**Sighing, I answered, "Well, Shay, half-bloods like us are prohibited to fall in love with humans because we lead such different lifestyles. We focus our lives on protecting people, guarding our territory, and keeping the balance between people and nature. Compared to humans, most of them want the newest cell phones or the hottest clothes, or they worry about getting the highest grade in school or paying their next bill.**

"**The majority of humans don't care about what's going on around them, and how their choices affect the world. It's not only that, though. Just imagine, being out on patrol half the time, or having meetings with the pack, or even fighting off other wolves, while your human mate is left just sitting at home, waiting, hoping you're ok. What if you get wounded in battle, so badly that you don't know if you'll make it? Your mate wouldn't be able to do anything to help. I wouldn't wish that upon anyone." My eyes started watering.**

"**That's understandable, but if you're in love with someone, you shouldn't be paired or forced to be with anyone else. I believe love is what makes a pack strong. If you truly love someone, you will do anything for them, and protect them no matter what. I'm not saying you wouldn't do your best to keep a person you're paired with alive, but you wouldn't have that feeling of protectiveness or happiness." Realizing that her voice had been steadily raising, she quieted again. "I'm not disrespecting your ways either, Alpha. I'm just stating my opinion."**

**I felt a lump in my throat. She was right. If I'm paired with Eric, it's not like I wouldn't try to protect him, but I just wouldn't have that bond like I do with Xavier, whom I love. I could feel my heart pound.**

"**Alpha, I mean no disrespect. I can tell you love Xavier, I can tell that you would do anything for him. I think you should follow your heart." Shay wisely suggested.**

"**I wish I could, but it's prohibited. I can't disobey the pack. If I do, then I would be exiled," I cried softly.**

"**That's horrible." Anger was in her voice.**

"**It's just how it is. There's nothing I can do." We reached his house and I phased back to my human form. I rubbed my eyes clean, walked up to his door, and knocked. He answered the door and hugged me.**

"**Bree! I was so worried about you! Are you alright?!" he asked, scanning my body for any obvious injuries.**

"**No. I mean, yeah, I'm fine. But you're in danger. You need to come with us." I sounded happier then I probably should have.**

**He just looked at me, more confused than ever.**

"**We need to leave ASAP. The more time we spend here, the more time the Sons of Ebony will have to find us."**

"**The Sons of Ebony?" Xavier questioned. Shay started barking.**

"**No time to explain, Xavier! Please, come with us. You're not safe here, and were running out of time." My eyes locked on his.**

**Nodding his head, he said "I trust you. What do I need?"**

"**Water, that's it. Find a huge jug. Oh, and you'll need a hoodie in case it gets cold." I smiled at him. Xavier went into his house and I phased back into my wolf form.**

"**What's going on, Shay?" I asked, trying to cover up my worry.**

"**Your father said we need to get moving now."**

"**Alright." I barked twice, and Xavier appeared right next to me holding the items I'd requested. He got up on my back and grabbed my shoulder hair as I took off running with Shay right behind me.**

"**He is adorable." Shay started panting.**

"**Shush." I smiled at her.**

**We reached the spot were Peyton and Eric were waiting. They both rose defensively to their feet as soon as they saw Xavier. Oh god, here we go. I started baring my teeth.**

"**What is he doing here? Do you want to kill us?" Eric exploded.**

"**You forget what we're here for." Alpha's voice was behind me, and all eyes landed on him. "Aubrey and I have made our decision. This is what we decided to be the safest plan for Xavier. Eric, you will treat your Alpha with respect if you want to be in this pack." Clearly, Alpha wasn't going to put up any wolf who second-guessed my decision.**

"**Like it or not," he continued, "this is going to be your new Alpha one day and she will be doing what she thinks is right for the pack. I have all of my faith in her that she will do what's right for us all." He found Shay. "Hello. What's your name?"**

"**Shay, sir."**

"**Nice to meet you. I'm Aubrey's father." He smiled.**

"**Nice to you too, sir." Shay's tail wagged a little.**

**Alpha's eyes went back on me, "Ask to speak to Ren. You'll do fine, I know you will."**

"**Thank you, Alpha. Pack, let's go, and keep your senses sharp."**

"**Yes, Alpha," my pack-mates responded.**

**We walked for about 5 hours. I couldn't help but feel better, knowing that Xavier was safe and that everybody knew their place. Peyton still hasn't talked to me whatsoever, though. That's something I need to fix, and quick.**

**Xavier was getting really tired. I could feel his body start to drift off occasionally, before his hands would tighten around my fur and his body would jerk back into wakefulness. It was 3:45 a.m. on a Tuesday morning. The rest of the pack was sluggishly trying to keep up. It looked like Eric and Shay were OK; they were leaning on each other as they walked. Peyton was walking right behind me, however, and I could tell that she was trying to hide how tired she was.**

**Finally, I took it easy on them all. "Alright. I think we should rest for a couple of hours. We'll get up at 9 and start walking at 9:15." I let out a yawn. "Peyton, please walk with me."**

"**Yes, Alpha." Peyton's voice was flat and cold. I let Xavier off my back and lead Peyton away.**

**After quite a bit of silence between us, I made my attempt to melt the ice. "I'm sorry I snapped at you, OK?"**

**Peyton licked the side of my face. "Sorry I pushed your buttons."**

"**It's alright. Let's catch some Z's before 9." I wagged my tail.**

"**You said it, Bree."**

**Waking up to the chirping of the birds beat any alarm clock in the world.**

**Focusing my eyesight, I looked around. Shay, Eric, Peyton. Where's Xavier? Jumping up on my four paws I started sniffing the ground for any scent of him. Nothing. I ran through the bushes and brush to a small wooded area. Where are you? My mind raced. I heard a small branch break to my right and my eyes darted that way. Xavier walked out from behind the tree.**

"**I scared yah, didn't I?" He chuckled.**

**Anger filled me, and I let out a low growl. We're trying to protect you and you go running off. Great.**

"**Aubrey, I was seeing if I could cover my scent if needed. I think I did a good job, if I don't say so myself." I could totally tell he felt accomplished.**

**Peyton appeared right next to him. "Alpha, everyone's up."**

"**Thanks, Beta." Looking at Xavier, I barked, and the three of us found our way back to the two remaining wolves. "Shay, carry Xavier. Eric, Peyton, walk on either side of Shay." The wolves did as asked and we were on our way.**

**Some time later, Peyton spoke up. "Gah." Peyton's stomach rumbled. "Bree, I'm hungry."**

"**Me too, Alpha," Shay chimed in, as well as her stomach.**

"**We've only been walking for three hours, guys. You can't go at least another hour?" Eric objected.**

**Between Eric and Peyton bickering, Xavier spoke. "Aubrey, I don't know if you're in a conversation at this moment, and I'm sorry if you are, but the human boy's hungry."**

"**Great," Eric added.**

"**Guys, keep a look out for food. We walk until then." I made the final decision.**

**Eating the last piece of flesh from the deer's leg filled my stomach. I felt so energized and just ready to go. My pack and I hadn't eaten since we met Shay, and that deer hit the spot. Xavier ate about a whole bush of berries.**

"**Damn, human boy can eat," Eric said, licking the blood off of his upper lip. "Good thing he's not a wolf, or he would probably eat half a buck."**

"**Eric, stop calling him 'human boy'. He has a name, and it's Xavier." I tried not to snap at him.**

**Eric mumbled under his breath, but I was just not in the mood to deal with him. Ignoring his attitude, I asked him, "What can you tell us about the Oswego clan?"**

"**Nothing," Eric said, showing his teeth.**

"**Why not, Eric?" Peyton asked. "This is important. You know, if we knew how many wolves are in their pack, then we would know if we're out numbered or something."**

"**She has a point, Eric." I smiled at Peyton, thanking her.**

**He growled, but conceded. "They're about the same number as Luke's clan," he spoke sharply, trying to end the subject.**

"**Go on." Peyton shot a cocky smile at Eric.**

"**The alpha of the Oswego clan is Ren, and his mate's name is Ari. They have 5 pups. The oldest 2 are twins Fang and Comegy. Then there's their daughter Kia. Last but not least they have their youngest pups, another set of twins: Seth and Kyra."**

"**Are they good warriors?" I stopped to scan my surroundings. This place felt so familiar.**

"**I would compare Ren to Luke. They're both are very strong. Um, Ari, well – she's not a fighter. The only time she'll fight is if there's someone attacking her younger pups. Fang and Comegy? They're very obedient, and they will get things done. The only downside is, they argue a lot, but when they work together, they're very powerful. Kia – Kia's a work of art. She acts like an Alpha, and she will do anything to prove her strength. On the other hand, she's very nice. Seth and Kyra, they're too young, nothing to say about them," Eric finished. **

"**Wow." Shay was shocked.**

"**Our pack will be very interesting," Peyton added.**

"**Indeed," Eric growled.**

**I was worried. No doubt, I'm going to be in charge of 7 more wolves, 10 in total. Alpha's pack isn't even as big as this. Ugh, I'm getting stressed again. Major-ly.**

**Focusing my eyes and mind to my surroundings, it suddenly clicked, and I knew at last where I was! Aurora!**

**Wagging my tail, I jetted off, my pack following right behind me. Soon, we reached a sea of purple, a lavender field that caressed a gravel driveway leading up to a white house. Reaching the stairs, an elderly lady opened the door and walked out.**

"**Aubrey. My darling, is that really you?" Her voice was like honey, warm and sweet.**

**Phasing into human form, I landed in front of her, and opening my arms, I hugged her. "Grandma! I missed you so much!"**

"**I missed you too, my darling. Is this your pack?" Grandma looked at each of the wolves.**

"**Yes, Grandma. This is my new pack." I smiled.**

"**Ah, so Luke has made you Pre-Alpha? Good. You'll make a strong Alpha." Grandma's hand rubbed my back.**

"**Pack, please meet my grandmother." I looked at each of my wolves. One by one they all phased into their human forms. "Grandma, this is my beta, Peyton. Peyton, this is my grandmother, Aurora." Peyton gave a simple wave and a smile. Pointing to the lean and muscular boy who stood before us, the one whose hair started off black but faded to brown, I made another introduction. "Grandma, this is Eric."**

"**Nice to meet you, Aurora." Eric bowed his head, casting his brown eyes down to the ground. Grandma gave him a sweet smile.**

"**And this is our newest member, Shay." Shay's human form was stunning. She was very small and skinny, and her pale skin was dotted with freckles. Most noticeable was her long, curly red hair. It went down to her butt.**

"**Hello, Aurora," she greeted.**

"**Hello, Shay." Grandma let out a smile, but soon it disappeared. "Who is this?" She looked at Xavier.**

"**This is Xavier, Grandma." She studied my face as I spoke.**

"**He's in danger, isn't he?" Aurora looked at him. Grandma always could guess if there was something wrong. She was really, really good at it.**

"**Yes, Grandma. He's in trouble with the Sons of Ebony."**

"**The Sons of Ebony?" Grandma's voice cracked.**

"**Yes." I looked down.**

**Grandma looked at my pack. "Relax for a while. I need to talk with your Aubrey." Grandma's eyes returned to me. "Aubrey, my darling, come inside."**

**Closing the door behind me, Grandma walked into her kitchen, while I followed close behind her.**

"**My darling, the Sons of Ebony are after you?"**

"**Yes." I felt a lump start to form in my throat.**

"**Aubrey, the Sons of Ebony is not a clan to mess with." I saw a tear run down her face. "They killed your Grandfather."****mHmhmMSAODSOCAOCSJPASOCJOSJC VPOAVJOASJPVOSskapcjksdnfksn vgsalvm:PvSdfm:DS**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

** "What?! No!" No… No… NO!**

** "Aubrey, they did." Grandma walked over to her wooden kitchen table, picked up a framed picture, and turned away from me. "They killed him the night he was marked."**

** "What? Mom told me that Grandpa was always a half blood, for as long as she could remember." I walked toward her as she walked away.**

** "No, that is not true, darling." I could tell she had started crying. "Aubrey, you mustn't tell anyone."**

** "I promise." I sat in the kitchen chair as she turned to face me.**

** "Your grandfather was a pure human when I met him. He had no trace of wolf in his blood, none at all. He worked at an auto shop, where he worked to fix cars, of course. He saw me, and it was an instant connection. I felt like I had to be with him always." She looked at the picture and smiled. "He told me he felt the same way. Every night after that day, we would meet up, and soon we started a secret life. My father found out, and as you know, it is taboo for a wolf and a human to be together. He gave me a choice. It was either my family or him."**

** "What did you do?" I asked, twirling my thumbs nervously in a circle.**

** "I chose my family." She looked into my eyes.**

** "I could imagine how painful that would be." I broke her eye contact.**

** "I eventually grew emotionally sick. I no longer cared about anything, and I suppressed the feeling, the urge to see him again."**

** "Oh." Maybe, that's what would be best for Xavier.**

** "My mom eventually got tired of this new me. She didn't know who I was anymore. She told me to go after him. So I did."**

** "What happened?" I should have kept my mouth shut.**

** "I found him. I could tell he had the same feelings I did. I remember how I howled with joy, and how his face lit up. He knew it was me and, he came running. About a month later I had your mother. She was so beautiful. I can honestly say she represented our love." Grandma smiled and looked at the picture once more.**

** "How did Grandpa change, then?"**

** Grandma's smile faded, "I still wanted to continue the wolf line. She was born with the wolf already in her blood. I taught her how to haunt and fend for herself. You know, she was taught to be a warrior, just like you and every other wolf. I remember her 19****th**** birthday. We were all outside, we were both in our human forms, it was nighttime, and there was a full moon. Outstanding – really, it could take your breath away. There was even a shooting star." Tears now fell freely from her eyes.**

** "A shooting star." Oh my god.**

** "Your grandpa said that he wished he knew what it was like to be a wolf, and at the same time, your mother said she wished to know what it was like to have a wolf father. Within a couple minutes, the moon's beam shined down upon them. They rose up into the sky, and, Aubrey, their eyes were glowing. Suddenly, your mother phased into her wolf form, and so did Grandpa. I couldn't believe it. I still can't.**

"**Later that night, we went to bed, and there was a strange sound. Grandpa said it was nothing, but he went to go check it out. He walked outside and a group of warriors from the Sons of Ebony were there to greet him." Grandma came over and sat in the chair facing me. "Grandpa thought that if he phased, he could talk to them and nicely tell them to stay away."**

** "Yeah, but you can't do that with wolves. They go all crazy." I looked at the back of the picture frame.**

** "Yes. Grandpa didn't know better. He phased and the group started running toward him. He ran back to the house, barking. It woke us right up. We ran outside to see your Grandfather being attacked. Alicia and I both phased and tried fending them off, but there were just too many. We just couldn't fight them all. I heard a laugh and a yelp. Everyone had soon frozen in place to see the leader of that group with grandpa squirming in his mouth. Their leader's eyes locked on mine, and with a smile he bit down and jerked. Grandpa's body went limp and fell to the ground. The murderer never took his eyes off of me; he only smirked and smiled, and said that there's nothing like sorrow and pain to give him such a feeling of power. Two other wolves in their pack bit into Grandpa and started dragging him away. The leader ripped a piece of skin off of the corpse and tossed it my way, still laughing. To this day, I don't know what's happened to him."  
I started crying as she came over to hold me. "It's alright, though. When I finally fell asleep, he visited me in my dreams. Everything's OK, Aubrey."**

** "They kill merely for the pain and sorrow of others!?"**

** "No. They kill for fun. The pain and sorrow is just a part of it. It gives them power." Grandma's voice was different. Almost emotionless.**

** "We need to get to the Oswego clan." I rubbed my eyes.**

** "Aubrey, follow my field until you reach the thick forest. , you'll know what to do." She kissed me on my forehead. "You should get going. It's 1:00 P.M., and you have a long journey ahead of you."**

** "Agreed." I hugged her one more time and started walking to the door.**

** "Aubrey, I must advise you, the thick forest is dangerous. You need to be careful, and keep your senses sharp." She handed me an old necklace that was 14K solid gold. It was two crescent moons together in the shape of a heart. "Grandpa and I are always with you. Always remember that, my darling."**

** "Of course." I smiled at her. It was so weird; something inside of me felt like it was connected to the piece of jewelry in my hands. She helped me put it on my neck and kissed me on my forehead.**

** Grandma's field felt endless. We'd been walking for about three and a half hours. Three and a half hours of staring at flowers. Eric and Peyton were talking about god only knows what. Eric would state something, and Peyton would try and prove him wrong, over and over again. Gah, all they do is bicker! Shay, now, Shay loved it out here. She was chasing butterflies and rolling around in the flowers. I could tell she loved the outdoors. Xavier was walking beside me, just looking at all of us. I could tell he was trying to figure out what everyone was up to. I could only imagine what we looked like. Looking at him, I moved my ears back and forth twice.**

** "What am I up to?" he answered. "Uh, nothing. I just wish I knew what was going on." He shrugged. I shook my head.**

** "Yeah, but how do I know nothing's going on?" he continued. "I don't know, sometimes I feel like it would be nice if I knew." He looked at the sky. I closed my eyes, and suddenly the necklace's shape appeared in my mind. It was glowing, and I felt odd.**

** "Bree!?" Peyton barked.**

** "Yeah?" My eyes flung open.**

** "Are you sure this is the right way?" You could hardly see into the forest, and it looked really spooky.**

** "Yes, it is. Shay, carry Xavier, please?" My nervousness was obvious.**

** "Yeah," she meekly agreed, and we set off into the unknown.**

** As soon as we set paw into the forest, I felt it again, that odd feeling. I nonchalantly followed in the direction where it was leading me. About an hour went by before there was a small opening. It was a cave with a tiny entrance. Xavier got off Shay's back and sat down to relax a little, as did Eric and Peyton. Shay just stood there panting while I got pulled toward the cave. Hmm. What's in there? Once I was just a step away from actually being in the cave, eyes appeared. Eyes, bloodshot eyes.**

**I started backing up when the eyes came closer and closer, until they were out in the daylight. As I sat down I felt my ears go back when I noticed it was a gigantic black bear that was now standing on his two hind feet. The bear's arm reached out and he headed right towards me when suddenly Eric's body pushed me out of the way.**

** "If I have to keep saving you, then I say you make me Alpha," he laughed.**

** "E-Er-Eric, this isn't something to joke about now, let's go." I couldn't help but feel pure fear running through my veins.**

** "Nonsense, it's just a bear. How hard can this be?" He showed his teeth and his ears went all the way back.**

** "Eric!?" I yelled.**

** Paying no attention to me, he jumped up to try and bite the bear in the neck. However, the bear's arm was quicker and stronger. Eric went flying to the other side of the little circle, hitting his back on a tree trunk. He yelped upon impact, and the bear made his way over on all four paws where Eric's body lay.**

** "Shay, take Xavier and go to a safe place. Peyton!" I commanded. We took off running and leaped at the same time, landing on the bear's back. We each sank our teeth into his neck on opposite sides, drawing blood. The bear groaned in pain as he stood on his hind legs once more, causing Peyton and I to fall off of him.**

** "Peyton, go help Eric move to safety!" I yelled.**

** "What about you!?" She yelled back.**

** "Go, now!"**

** I ran over to the bear, baring my white teeth. I could feel my eyes almost popping out of my eye sockets. The bear swung at me with his arm, but this time I crouched down, causing him to miss. I sprang up and nipped at his neck. Roaring now, he cornered me against a tree. This is it. My mind raced. Xavier, I love you! I thought as that odd feeling came over me yet again.**

**All of a sudden, I looked up to see a wolf latched on to the bear's neck, opening more of the flesh. Letting go of the bear's neck, she landed right by me. Her light gray fur ruffled with her movement. I'd never seen a wolf like her before, with markings like hers. She had dark crescent moon shapes on her back legs, and smaller ones by her eyes. Her yellow eyes locked on mine for a brief second. Stars, her eyes were the color of stars.**

**She turned her focus back onto the bear. Barking and growling, she jumped up and managed to scratch his nose. The bear flailed his arms around as two more wolves appeared. The first one I noticed looked like a tiny black shadow. His dark fur was brightened only by the tiny white marks that appeared around his mouth; marks that looked remarkably like teeth. The second wolf that appeared looked quite a bit like the first one, with the same sort of design around his mouth. Where the first wolf was black, however, this one was mainly white.**

**They both came running towards the bear, jumping onto his back, each grabbing an ear. After their teeth were locked, they went limber to bring more weight onto the bear's backside. Crying in pain, the bear fell onto his four paws, offing his two attackers. It then took off running. **

** "What the hell are you doing on our territory?" the white wolf spoke.**

** "Yeah, really," the she-wolf added.**

** "Didn't your mom tell you not to mess with bears?" asked the dark wolf, apparently in some attempt to be humorous.**

** "Comegy, this isn't the time." The she-wolf wolf shot daggers at him with star eyes.**

** "Aw, lighten up, Kia, really. Maybe she's lost." He gave me a smile.**

** "I don't care. She shouldn't be here." She bared her teeth at me.**

** "It doesn't matter. She's not stupid – she must've known she was in our territory. Why are you here?" the white wolf asked.**

** "Fang! I was here first, so I'm dealing with her!" Kia barked.**

** "Give it a break, Kia. We're older," Comegy said, wagging his tail.**

** "My name is Aubrey." I interrupted the childish argument.**

** "That's a pretty name." Comegy's green eyes locked on mine.**

** "Hi, I'm Fang. This is my twin brother, Comegy, and my younger sister, Kia. Why are you here? You're not here for our food, are you?"**

** Fang. . . Comegy. . . Kia. Then it clicked." You're a part of the Oswego clan!" I realized.**

** "Yeah? What's it to you?" Kia stared at me.**

** "I was looking for you. Please, I need to speak with your Alpha, Ren." I locked onto Fang's dark gray eyes.**

** "You wish to speak with me?" A gray wolf with sky blue eyes appeared.**

** "Ren?" My voice shook.**

** "Yes, and who might you be?" He seemed so nice.**

** "My name is Aubrey. I am Luke's youngest pup. I am also Pre-Alpha. Luke sent me to you."**

** "Aha yes, I owe him a favor. What, may I ask, does he need?" He sat down to listen.**

** "Sir, the Sons of Ebony are after our clan, and we need help. Please, please help us."**

** "The Sons of Ebony? What did Luke do now?" He let out a laugh. "Yes, of course! Why don't you come back to our den and wait until morning? We'll fill you up with food, and then we'll all go back." He acted like the Sons were middle school bullies that just needed a slap on the hands. I couldn't believe it!**

** "Yes, that sounds great." I wagged my tail.**

** "Where are the other wolves you were with?" Kia spoke up.**

** I let out a low howl and one by one they appeared.**

** "Fang, Comegy." Ren motioned his head toward Eric. Instantly, they were right by Eric's side, letting him use them as crutches.**

** "Come, meet the rest of my clan." I started walking as he joined me by my side and our clans mixed together behind us.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

** Walking through the thick forest didn't seem as creepy or difficult anymore. Maybe it's because I was with someone who actually knew where they were going. I don't know. I glanced back every so often just to check on the pack. Shay was talking to Comegy, Eric was talking to Kia, and Peyton was talking to Fang. They all seemed to be getting along, which pleased me. Xavier walked behind Ren and I, in the middle of a circle of wolves. Soon, we reached crooked sign, hanging by a rusty nail on an old wooden post. It read Thatcher's Park. Beyond that sign, the path forked into three different paths. Instinctively, I let Ren walk in front of me. I have to admit, it was nice to follow someone else again.**

** Ren continued walking straight, leading us down the middle path. We walked down some rock steps to a rocky ledge that overlooked a valley of trees.**

** "Wow, this is simply beautiful," Shay remarked, looking out over the rock's ledge into a valley of multicolored trees.**

** "This is our home." Comegy sounded pleased to hear the compliment.**

** "I wish I lived here," Peyton chimed in.**

** "Maybe one day you will." Fang wagged his tail, letting a smile spread across his face. If Peyton was in her human form, she would have been beet red. I looked behind me on the rock wall to see some human words written there:**

**TIFFANY WUZ HERE**

**Jason and Jake – brothers till the end**

**Your MOM was here**

**. . . and many other things that had been written, but had washed out due to the rain. **

** "Our den isn't far from here," Ren spoke. "But, this is going to be challenging for the human boy." He studied Xavier. **

** "Xavier is really good at climbing, trust me," I reassured him. **

** We continued to walk the rocky ledge, down some more rough stairs. We twisted around a couple of trees, which brought us to a waterfall.**

** "Alright, it's all downhill from here," Ren yelled over the waterfall.**

**Looking down, I could see that there were many rocks all piled on top of one other, obviously not safe for humans. The way led to the valley of trees. Ren jumped down onto a rock, and then jumped to a lower rock, and so on. Kia and Fang followed his path, and then Comegy and Shay, and lastly, Eric and Peyton. But I wasn't going to let Xavier do this. No way. I walked over to him and laid down signaling to him to get on my back. Stubbornly he refused and went to the rock's edge. I jetted over to his side and let out a low growl.**

** "I can do this." He smiled and stepped down onto a loose rock. Within a matter of seconds he went down. Just as soon as he fell, I jumped over the ledge, catching him by the back of his jeans. I managed to land on an abnormally pointed rock 20 feet below. I yelped but kept my grasp on Xavier. From then on down, all I can remember is jumping and landing on more sharp, loose rocks.**

** It wasn't pleasant.**

** As I landed on the grass at the bottom of the rocks, I let go of Xavier and collapsed. Once more, Peyton was the one who was at my side first.**

** "Bree! Bree! What's wrong!?" She circled where my body landed.**

** "I'm fine. I just have a lot of cuts on my paws." I stood up and felt instant pain as dirt rubbed into my cuts. It took every atom in me not to yelp again. Xavier? The thought snuck into my mind. I looked over to see him standing with only a couple of scrapes on his arms. He's going to be the end of me, I thought to myself. I was happy, though, that he was alright and not badly hurt.**

** "Here we are!" Ren announced as we all came to a huge cavernous hole in the ground. He let out a small bark, which was soon answered by a serious of younger barks. Two white wolves with almost identical gray designs as each other came running out to greet their father. Jealousy filled me. I could remember a time when I was a youngling and my father came home. Alpha had finally taken a break from patrolling. I was about 12, the same age as Ren's pups, and I had gone to give my father a hug. He had just pushed me aside, saying, "Don't be happy I came home. Alphas show no emotion."**

**At a young age I knew I was going to be the Alpha of the new clan. Heck, I was 7 when my mother told me that Alpha had picked me. The point is, ever since that day, it was forbidden for me to show any emotion to Alpha.**

**Snapping back to reality, I saw a beautiful wolf emerge from deep within the cave. She was of the same colors as the younger pups. She gracefully walked over to Ren and licked the side of his face. You could see Ren's eyes just melt and you could feel the aura of true love.**

** We all sat in a circle in front of his den. Our clans came together again and did not mix.**

** "Well, as you know, I am Ren, Alpha of the Oswego clan." Ren looked to his right at the beautiful white wolf who sat beside him. Her gray markings were mixed beautifully among her white fur, and her soft brown eyes were filled with kindness. What got me the most were the dark marking by her eyes. They looked like little claw marks. "This is my mate," Ren smiled.**

** "Hello. My name is Ari. I am Ren's mate and Beta of the Clan." Her smile reminded me of my mother's. Hell, I miss her so much. Ari looked at the pups sitting right beside her. "These are our younger twin pups, Kyra and Seth." The male, whose fur was white like his mother's, stood and walked forward. I could see his markings – he had grey spots around his eyes, and a paintbrush tail. "Hi, I'm Seth!" He bowed down in playful stance.**

**His twin, another white wolf with extremely similar gray markings, pounced on her brother and said, "Seth, I'm the girl. I go first!" Smiling innocently, she introduced herself. "I'm Kyra." **

** "Kyra, get off of me!" Seth yelled as he flipped her over and pinned her.**

** "You weigh a ton, Seth!" Kyra tried getting out from under him.**

** "Pups! We have guest. Now, stop!" Ren's voice deepened.**

** "Yes, Dad." In sync, both pups returned to their spots.**

** Ren continued. "Our second oldest is Kia." Kia simply smiled. "Our oldest pups are also twins: Fang and Comegy." Upon being mentioned, they each respectfully bowed their heads. "Now, please introduce yourselves." Ren smiled.**

** "Well, I'm Aubrey, Pre-Alpha of Luke's clan. I am his youngest pup. This is my new clan, which I shall be the Alpha over, once the time comes." I looked over to my right at my best friend, who shook her hazelnut fur.**

** "Hi, my name's Peyton. I am Aubrey's best friend' and Beta once the new clan arises." Her voice shook.**

** My smile calmed her down and let her know she did a good job. I looked to my left. "This is Eric, and the wolf next to him is Shay. She just got accepted into the clan."**

** "Who's the Human, though? And why are you protecting him?" Kia interrupted.**

** "Ari, why don't you take the pups and go hunt some food for us? We need the energy for the walk tomorrow." Ren didn't let me answer Kia's question.**

** "Of course, darling. Pups, let's go. It's time for a hunting lesson." Ari stood up as Seth and Kyra playfully nipped at each other while disappearing into the woods.**

** "Kia, go assist your mother." Ren added.**

** "But dad, I'm not a pup. I can stay here and keep my mouth shut." Kia objected.**

** "Kia." Ren's voice deepened once more.**

** "Dad, I'm 15!" She raised her voice.**

** Ren's eyes locked on Kia's. "I'm not telling you again." Growling and showing her teeth, Kia vanished.**

** "My apologies regarding the disturbance. Please continue." Ren smiled at me. Guess I was doing something right.**

** "Well, the human boy's name is Xavier." Xavier just sat there pulling the grass from the ground.**

** Fang looked at Ren and nodded. "Why does he follow your clan?" Fang asked.**

** "He was attacked by a black wolf who had a scar over his left eye," I answered.**

** "Diablo!" Ren's eyes widened as he realized we weren't joking around about the Sons of Ebony.**

** "Diablo?" I sounded flat out stupid.**

** "Yes, Diablo. The wolf that attacked Xavier – his name is Diablo." Ren was in shock.**

** "Who's Diablo?" Peyton asked. I couldn't have been mad at her. I didn't know who he was, either, and I wasn't about to make myself look even more stupid as an Alpha.**

** "Diablo is one of the four commanders of the Alpha, Cerberus." Ren looked at Peyton.**

** I couldn't have been more lost and confused. Ren must've guessed that, because he began to clarify. "Cerberus, as I've just stated, is the Alpha of the Sons of Ebony. His mate, Pyro, is his Beta, and his four sons are his commanders. There's Diablo, Lucifer, Hades and Eli."**

** "And you mean to tell me that a commander attacked Xavier? And he lived?! He's lucky!" Comegy spoke.**

** "Eli's dead." I looked at Ren.**

** "Who killed him?" I could tell Ren was getting worried.**

** "My father. I was there." I shivered, recalling that horrid night.**

** "Were you in your human form?" Ren asked. Fang and Comegy were confused now, it seemed.**

** "Yes." I looked down.**

** "Eli probably went looking for trouble and Cerberus probably got worried once his son failed to return. So he sent Diablo to go and find him. When Diablo finally realized your father killed his brother, he went to go tell his own father, but he came upon you and Xavier instead. Knowing that you were a part of your father's clan, he attacked. As he did so, he must have seen you change and Xavier remain human. What type of connection do you have with Xavier?"**

** "He's my best friend."**

** "Diablo knew. He felt it." Ren sighed, frustrated.**

** "They're human?" Fang asked.**

** I looked at Peyton, who in return phased and waved.**

** "Yes, they're half blood." Ren answered.**

** "You told us, wolves never mix with humans!" Fang exploded.**

** "Yeah! " Comegy matched Fang's anger.**

** "Comegy, Fang. They're different. Different from us, and from regular humans," Ren ansered.**

** "You can say that again," Comegy added in, disgusted.**

** Ren bared his teeth. "If it wasn't for Aubrey's father – who is also a half blood, might I add! – then your mother and all of you pups would have been killed long ago."**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

** Dinner was pretty much silent, except for the noises the pups made as they fought over pieces of deer. Ari and Kia could sense that something had happened while they were away, and it was best if they kept their mouths shut. When everyone was done eating, Ren spoke.**

** "Tomorrow, at dawn, we hike back to Aubrey's territory. Rest well, for it's going to be at least a day's journey." Ren went into his den. Kia followed right behind him.**

** "Your clan is welcome to sleep in our den." Ari smiled at me.**

** "Thank you. I appreciate it." I smiled back.**

** "Pups." Ari walked into the den as Seth and Kyra tiredly followed her.**

** Comegy and Fang looked at me. "I'm sorry about earlier." Comegy said.**

** "It doesn't change who you are, or your clan," Fang added.**

** "It's understandable, and I accept your apology. Goodnight." I smiled.**

** "Goodnight," they both echoed as they walked towards their den.**

** Looking at my own clan, I smiled. "It's been a long day. Please, go get some sleep." Everyone said their goodnights and went into the den, except for Xavier and me. I looked at him, turned around, and walked into the trees to an opening where I could sit down under the sky.**

** Snap! A twig broke behind me and I knew it was Xavier. I phased so I could talk to him.**

** "I'm really sorry about what happened at the rock wall. I didn't mean to hurt you." His voice was low.**

** "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine." I turned around to look at him.**

** "I'm just so sick of not being able to hear you guys, or do what you do, you know?" His eyes met mine, and I felt like I just wanted to hold him.**

** "I understand." I patted the grass next me, motioning for him to come and sit next to me. He accepted.**

** "What's going on with the Oswego clan? Things seemed to get heated when you guys were talking. I could tell by Comegy and Fang's angry vibes, and you just seemed confused." He tried smiling.**

** " Well, I learned that the wolf who attacked us was one of the commanders of the Sons of Ebony, and, well, he attacked us out of rage. Remember the time you saw Peyton and I at the mall, when everyone was in a panic? A wolf had attacked a human, so my father killed him. Come to find out, he was a commander too, along with his brothers," I said in one breath.**

** "Damn."**

** "I know. Comegy and Fang found out we were half bloods and didn't take to the idea. But they apologized after dinner. I think everything's OK. I don't know – I just – don't know." I looked at the stars.**

** "Bree, everything will be OK." Xavier put his arms around me and once again I felt the lava flow in my blood.**

** "Why did you leave me?" I asked.**

** "I had to go work for my uncle." His voice was flat. "I already told you."**

** I felt my necklace burn and my hand went over it. "Everything seemed so easy before you left, so straightforward." I looked down at my Grandmother's gift to see it glowing.**

** "I'm sorry." Xavier looked at the moon. "I meant it, though, that I thought about you, every night."**

** "I did, too." I looked at him. He was so innocent. He didn't deserve this. "Xavier, you know we can't be."**

** It was if I had taken glass and used it to stab him, over and over again. "I know," he answered.**

** "So, why? Why do we do this to each other?" I was afraid to speak the words.**

** "Aubrey, I love you. I always have," Xavier whispered.**

** "It can't be. We can't be." I looked at my necklace once more.**

** "You're gonna think I'm crazy for saying this, but the night I heard that howl, I could have sworn it was you. My insides were telling me to go, to be with you." He stood up.**

** "Xavier, please." I stood up and grabbed his hand before he could walk away. **

** "You're right, we can't be." Xavier voice was emotionless.**

**My heart just crumbled. I loved Xavier; everyone who knew me knew that. I'd rather have been killed than to have this happen. Xavier ripped away from me and walked back to the den. I silently sat there, crying until it hurt to keep my eyes opened. So I kept them closed, for a very long time.**

** My eyes flung open as I felt someone licking my face. A white shape appeared in my vision. Ari? I patted her head and she sniffed my face. She could tell I had cried myself to sleep. I phased back into my wolf form.**

** "Hey, Aubrey, we're all planning to take off to your territory." Ari looked into my bloodshot eyes.**

** "Oh, alright." I had a pounding headache.**

** "You love him?" Ari asked. I needed to stop making it obvious.**

** "Yes. How can you tell?" I spoke softly.**

** "I can read vibes really well." She licked my ear just like my mother would.**

** "Yeah, but it can't be." I felt my eyes watering again.**

**We walked back to the den, and everyone was up and ready. The pups; Kia; Comegy; Fang; Ren; Shay; Eric; and Peyton. All were staring at me.**

** "I have decided to accept you as Alpha of this clan, Aubrey, but if I feel as if you're not making the right choice for my family, then I can object," Ren said.**

** "With all respect, I accept. Thank you." I looked at Xavier who stood there emotionless.**

**I remained silent on the way back. I said absolutely nothing. I glanced at Xavier from time to time, but he just looked at the ground. He didn't smile like before, he wasn't taking in the scenery, nothing. It was as though we were strangers. That's when I wished I had been killed that night when Diablo attacked us.**

** As we reached my territory, I smelt it once again, unjustified death. I jetted away from the others and towards my house, howling. I saw no movement, and no one answered back. Suddenly, I tripped over something large and limp. Standing up and looking at what I had tripped over, I realized it was John, my brother. Showing my teeth, I let out a longer, low howl, and the Oswego clan and my own clan came running.**

** "They killed my family," I yelled.**

** "Aubrey?" my mom's voice called out.**

** "Mom!" I went running towards her. Licking her scratches and bite marks, I asked, "Mom, what happened?" **

** "They came to look for you and Xavier." Her voice was weak.**

** "No!" I yelled, showing my teeth.**

** "Aubrey, darling. We did all we could." My mom started crying.**

** "Tell me the others made it," I pleaded.**

** "Only Mike and Ryan are alive." Her eyes melted at the thought of losing her family.**

** "Dad?"**

** "I don't think he's going to make it. He's in the house." Tears dripped off her face.**

** Quickly I jetted into the house to see my father in his human form, laying on the floor in the living room. I phased and automatically landed by his side, crying, "Dad, Dad. Tell me you'll be OK!" I put my shaking hand on his.**

** Dad spoke with great effort to fight past the pain. "Aubrey, you must ready yourself. Train yourself with no distractions." His sorrow-filled eyes locked on mine. Mom entered the room with tissues. "Your time has come to lead this clan, Aubrey."**

** "No! No! You'll be fine. You'll make it. I know you will." Anger filled my blood.**

** "Aubrey, I'm stepping down. It's final." He tried to sound intimidating like he usually was, but it was failing. He couldn't raise his voice any higher then a soft whisper. Once again, my necklace started glowing and burning. "Aubrey, as Alpha, you can't let your emotions show. Take care of the rest of the clan. I have faith in you, I always have." His voice got softer and softer "I love you." My father muscular body went limp and his eyes closed.**

** Mom walked over to try and comfort me but I stood up before she could hug me. I looked at her, helpless and more lost than ever. Acting on instinct, I ran out of the house, where everyone was circled around, even Xavier. I ran to him and wrapped my arms around him. I didn't care who saw or what they thought. I needed Xavier to be a part of my life, especially now. I couldn't lose him, like I lost so many.**

**Turning around to see the eyes of both wolves and humans on me, I spoke. "It's time. We will all begin intense training. We need to be ready and prepared for the coming of the Sons of Ebony. Cerberus and his clan have taken innocent lives, and for what? Pleasure!? No. Not anymore. Now, it's time to put a stop to this!" I sounded just like my father; I could hear it. And judging by Peyton's face, she heard it, too.**

"**Ren, Fang, Comegy, Mike. Find the rest of my pack. Bring them here. We need to give them a respectful ceremony." They nodded and took off.**

** "Aunt Bree," a small voice spoke.**

** "Ryan?" I looked around for him.**

** The cellar door opened and Ryan come out with tears down his face. "Mommy gone." All I could do was walk over to him, pick him up, and hug him. I couldn't find the words to say to make him feel better. I felt his body move and shift, and upon letting go, I found that Ryan had finally phased into a wolf. I couldn't believe my eyes. Ryan was marked. He just sat there, staring at his paws, and then staring at me.**

** Quickly I phased. "You're a pup now." I smiled at him.**

** "I'm a wolf now?" he squeaked.**

** "Yes." I licked the top of his head. Kyra and Seth made their way over to him.**

** "I'm Seth," he panted.**

** "I'm his twin sister Kyra." She bounced around.**

** "I'm Ryan." He backed into my front legs out of shyness.**

** "Wanna come and play with us?" Seth sniffed him.**

** "Pretty please, Ryan?" Kyra looked in his eyes.**

** "S-sure." Ryan looked at me.**

** "Go on. But Eric will look after you." I looked at him.**

** "Aww, we don't need a babysitter," Kyra whined.**

** "Yes you do. Come on pups. Come get me." Eric trotted so the pups would have to run after him.**

** "Kia, please rest. We've had a long day." I smiled at her and motioned to the house.**

** "Thank you, Aubrey." She yawned.**

** "Peyton do as you please, but stand at the ready." I looked into her green eyes.**

** "Always am, Bree. I'm sorry." Her eyes watered.**

** "It's done and over with. It's time to move on." I picked up Xavier and was off.**

** I took him to the place where it all began. School. There was no one inside, since it was so late in the afternoon. I sat Xavier down and phased. Looking at the building, I said, "This is where it happened."**

** "Bree?" Xavier was confused.**

** "This is where we met." I fell to my knees. "This is where I fell in love with you, Xavier. So many nights we came here, so many days we spent here. I always wondered, why? Why you?" I just sat there staring at the building. I was hardly breathing, hardly moving, numb to the core.**

** I could tell Xavier really didn't know what to do. He just stood there in silence.**

** "I ask myself that question all the time now. I never could bring myself to admit the answer, because I knew if I did, I would choose to betray who I really am, to betray my destiny. Last night was horrible, how you walked away from me. I wanted to die. Xavier, I've always loved you. And that night you heard that strange howl? It was me. I thought of you, and I just howled. I can't explain how or why I did it. There's a part of me that hates seeing you in danger, like I HAVE to protect you. I understand if you're still angry with me, because of what happened last night. I need you to know that no matter what, I will do everything in my power to protect you. Starting tomorrow everyone is going to start intensive training so we will be prepared for Cerberus. I want you to train with us." I turned and finally met his eyes. As soon as I did so, Xavier jumped back.**

** "Aubrey! Y-your eyes!" His hand went over his mouth. "They're glowing!" He held my face so he could see better. "And your pupils – they're in the shape of a crescent moon!"**

** "What?!" I rubbed my eyes.**

** Suddenly, Eric howled, and it wasn't a howl I was prepared for. I zoomed underneath Xavier and phased so he ended up sitting on my back again. We took off to where I was being called to.**

** When I arrived at the place where we held our meetings, everyone was there, snarling and growling angry threats. I slid Xavier off my back where the pups were and stepped forward between the wall of wolves. I discovered a blood red wolf with black claw markings under her black eyes. The tips of her feet were also black. She was sitting right by the lake, where the ridges above towered overhead.**

** "Well, well, now it's a party!" The red wolf's voice was raspy and dark.**

** "Who are you?" I inhaled, showing my teeth.**

** "You don't know who I am?" She laughed. "Why, darling, I am the only daughter of the great Cerberus and Pyro: Bloodlust. I heard my brothers slaughtered your pathetic clan. I just stopped by to let you know how truly sorry I am." Her black, hate-filled eyes locked on mine. "How truly sorry they didn't finish the rest of you off!"**

** I jumped forward, latching onto her neck and pinning her under the water. I could taste her blood filling my mouth. Soon enough, her body stopped moving, and I flung her onto the ground. "Well, Bloodlust, I have a message for your father, Cerberus. Tell him, if and when any one of my members see his wolves on our territory again, we'll kill them. No warnings. No mercy. Consider yourself lucky."**

** "Lucky? Ha." She choked.**

** "Boys." Mike, Fang, Eric, Comegy and Ren took off after her, chasing her out of our territory.**

** Mom walked over along side of me, "Aubrey, hatred isn't the answer."**

** "They killed our family. Peace isn't the answer, either." I washed my face off in the lake.**

** "This is going to start an all-out war, Aubrey." My mom's voice was more concerned then ever.**

** "Then so be it. There will be no more unjustified deaths. Not while I'm Alpha." I looked at my reflection.**

** "Understood." She turned away.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

** I found myself on the ridges above the lake, laying down with my paws over the edge. The other wolves eventually scattered off to go on patrol or to hunt. I just lay there, still feeling numb. A lot has happened today, over the past couple of days. Don't worry, Father, I will protect this clan, even if death is the only option.**

**Sooner or later the question popped into my head as I pondered my situation. Why did Grandma give me this necklace? I phased into my human form and, sitting Indian style, I took the necklace off and examined it. I know you're doing something to me, but what? Hmm. Maybe Mom will know. I put the necklace down, took out my phone and texted her to meet me on the ridges.**

** Mom walked over in her human form and sat down next to me. "You needed to ask me a question, darling?" Her voice was soft.**

** "Yes. Mom, on my way to get the Oswego clan, we went past Grandma's house. We visited her and, well, she –"**

** "Darling, Grandma died last month." Her baby blue eyes scanned me up and down. The only emotion I felt was confusion and fear. Mom could sense it. I knew she could. "Darling, why do you ask?"**

** I held up the necklace, "She gave this to me the other day, Mom." **

** Mom was speechless, and she looked at the necklace for a long time before she spoke. "I. . . I. . . That's. . ." She reached her hand out to touch it, and then froze. "Aubrey, that's Grandma's necklace. How did you get it?"**

** Mom sounded exactly how I felt. "Mom, I told you. My clan and I saw her the other day. She told me the story about your father. Then she gave me the necklace."**

**I saw blank eyes staring back at me. "Aubrey. You have been given a marvelous gift."**

** "What gift?!" I yelled. I had too much on my mind to be told this.: half of my family dead, including my own father; the Sons of Ebony, loose and prowling. Now, I have been given a gift? A gift of what? Pain and suffering? Because that's all that this necklace has made me feel.**

** "Yes, darling. Grandma was given the gift from my father after he died. He appeared, but only to her. I honestly have no clue what power this necklace holds – I've never asked." He long platinum hair draped over her as she stood and walked to the edge. "All I know is that only the greatest leaders ever had that gift. Please, my child, understand. I am very happy for you, but many malevolent wolves and humans have tried to take that power. You need to be careful."**

** Standing up, I walked over next to her. "Will do, Mom, will do." I put the necklace back in place, and let out a scream as sheer pain jarred my body. This time, though, I heard thoughts in my head, but they were not my own. They were in another's voice.**

_**"I need to make it out alive. Aubrey, please, I'm sorry. Forgive me. I should've known better then to fall in love with you. If I make it out alive, I'll be the friend you need right now."**_

** The voice sent chills up my spine. It sounded so familiar, but I couldn't place whose it was. Everything around me seemed to stop as I heard a howl from Comegy out in the distance. In sync, Mom and I jumped from the ledge, landing in the water below. We swam until our feet could touch the bottom, and then took off in our wolf forms.**

** We arrived at the school where a fight had already broken out between four of my packmates and four wolves I didn't recognize. Looking over at my mother, she let out a growl and took off into the huge fur-flying fight. I couldn't make any sense of what was going on. Why did my mom do that? She usually just stays back until needed, or if asked to fight. Scanning around, I saw Bloodlust. She ran into the school's trees. Instinct took over when I got a whiff of Xavier come from that direction. Within seconds I was at Bloodlust's back paws and in sight of Xavier, who stood was in front of her. I jumped forward in the hopes I could latch onto her neck. I missed, as Bloodlust jolted sideways in another direction, away from Xavier. I barked, and Xavier looked over his shoulder and realized it was me. Backing up in a painful daze, he tripped over an uprooted tree and fell to the ground. **

** Phasing I landed next to him. "Xavier?!" I screamed, scanning his body and finding scratches and a bite mark. "Xavier, please answer me!" I started to sob, as I could hear his heart beat drop quickly. "Don't leave me, please. I've lost so many already, I can't bear to lose you. Not now, not never." My neck started burning as if it was on fire.**

**I continued my plea. "You didn't fall in love with me. We fell in love with each other. I'm so sorry, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. You are my true love, Xavier. All along the way you were. I should have been here for you – oh, if I could I'd take it all back! I would make things right." I put my hand over his chest and his heart began to race, as though he were running a marathon. His eyes flung open and he tried to catch his breath.**

** "Aubrey, look out!" He pointed behind me.**

** Turning around I saw Bloodlust in midair. I clenched my fist and heard a growl from deep down inside my human throat. My hand jolted up, and having grabbed her throat, I flung her into a tree. CRACK! I heard a whimper as the tree broke and fell. In front of the broken tree, a human girl lay, broken as well. I didn't know what to make of it. The Sons of Ebony are half bloods like us? This doesn't make any sense! my mind screamed.**

**The girl stood up, and I sensed the anger flowing through her veins. Quickly phasing, she took off in the direction of the battling. Phasing and putting Xavier on my back, I tried catching up to her. I felt so weak and fatigued that I couldn't keep up. Once I was back at the school grounds, the other wolves were gone. All that remained were my packmates.**

** "Report," I ordered as I reached them.**

** Comegy spoke first. "I was patrolling the grounds when I heard screams. So I ran towards them, coming upon Bloodlust and three other wolves, all fighting with Kia."**

**Glancing at Kia, I saw that she was marked up badly. "Was it an ambush?" I directed the question at her.**

** "Uh – well. No." She lowered her head. "I saw them attacking Xavier and I figured I could take them."**

** I snarled at her, "I told the pack to howl if something went wrong!" I bared my teeth in frustration. "You're off of patrol!"**

"**No!" Kia yelled.**

"**Until you can learn the responsibilities of being on patrol, you're either going to hunt for the clan or watch the young." I shot daggers at her when she tried to object. "Go on, Comegy."**

"**Well, like I saying, I saw a group of wolves attacking her, so I alerted you. Just as I finished, I saw Fang appear from where you took off after Bloodlust, and Mike appear in the opposite direction. We all attacked." He laid down to licked his injured paw.**

"**You guys did the right thing. I am proud of all of you." I walked over to Comegy and licked his ear and forehead to comfort him.**

"**We wouldn't have been in that predicament if Kia had just alerted us to begin with." Fang was just as mad at her as I was.**

"**I was trying to protect the Xavier boy!" Kia exploded with anger. "If I didn't attack them, then he would have been killed!"**

"**You should at least have howled while attacking! Ugh! Kia, you're not Alpha. You're barely strong enough to bring down game!" Fang matched her anger.**

"**Yes I can!" she leaped towards Fang. Just as fast, Fang leap towards her. Kia hit the ground.**

"**That's enough!" I barked. All eyes were on me. "There will be no attacking pack-mates in my clan!" Fang got off her and sat down. "Kia, thank you for trying to protect Xavier. But you should have called for backup. No one, not even your father, could have went up against those odds and lived to tell the story. Your spot still stands, though. You will hunt and watch over the young. On occasion you can go on patrol, but under supervision." I had spoken. Ren stepped out of the bushes, walked over to Kia, and helped her clean her wounds.**

"**Listen to Aubrey, Kia." I was glad Ren was on my side, reinforcing me.**

"**Yes, Dad." Kia spoke in a defeated tone.**

**I smiled at Ren, thanking him for backing me up. A favor for a favor, I figured, and decided to share what I had just discovered. "Ren, the Sons of Ebony are half bloods like us."**

**Rejections arose between Ren and Mom. "What do you mean?" Mom spoke.**

"**That's impossible!" Ren bared his teeth.**

"**It's true. While all of you were fighting, I saw Bloodlust take off into the forest after Xavier. I was right behind her as she jetted off in another direction – or, well, so it seemed. Xavier tripped over a root and fell. I went to go aid him while he pointed behind me and, well – I somehow managed to fling Bloodlust into a tree with my human hand. As I walked over to see if I had killed her, there lay a human girl. She soon got up and took off, phasing back into a wolf." I finished all in one breath. But I left out the part where I basically brought Xavier back to life, because I had a feeling it was the safer thing to do. I looked around to doubt filled, confused eyes.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"**Aubrey, they can't be half-bloods like us," Mom told me as Ren dismissed the rest of the wolves.**

"**It's true, Mom. I swear I saw her turn into a human. I can't say that all of the Sons of Ebony are half-bloods like us, but I know for a fact that Bloodlust is!" I found myself growing uncontrollably frustrated. Why doesn't she believe me? Why would I lie about that to my pack, let alone to my own mother? I felt anger flow through my veins like poison.**

"**Darling, your father already told you, we half-bloods are sworn to keep balance between nature and the human race. We can't just go slaughter people." Mom held back her tears. That was the first time she mentioned my father since his passing.**

**Angrily, I turned my back and tugged on Xavier's arm, silently ordering him to follow me.**

**I led Xavier back to the tall grass, where Alpha and I sat not too long ago. Sitting down again, I phased to my human form. Xavier hesitated to sit next to me. "I guess I have a lot to fill you in with." I couldn't make myself meet his gaze.**

** "I guessed I missed a lot." I felt him staring at me, waiting for me to look at him. When I failed to do so, he continued, "Aubrey, please. I want us to go back to the way things were before I – when I didn't leave." His voice was steady.**

** I felt my eyes tearing up. I was starting to get so sick of crying, so sick of being in pain. I wanted what he wanted, more than anything. "Xavier, since you moved away, things changed." Those were the only words I could say?! My mind raced and my heart was shushed.**

** "Obviously. Please, Bree. Tell me. I wanna be close to you again." His hand met mine.**

** "Honestly – you want me to tell you?" I finally looked him in his dark blue eyes. They were pleading me to tell him, tell him everything. Pleading to be 'us' again, like we were back in high school. "When I found out you left, I died inside. I couldn't understand why. Why would you leave me, I wondered, without even telling me the reason behind it? At first, I thought you were going to come back. As though you'd gone on vacation. Months passed, though, and with every month it sunk in: you weren't coming back. I guess I just got used to it. Knowing you'd moved on, I focused more on my training as an Alpha. More on my life, and my destiny. Until I saw you that day."**

"**Everything inside me started screaming: he came back! He came back! Hope returned, and a piece of me came alive." I moved my hand from underneath his, in order to wipe away the tears. "You see, I can't fall in love with pure –"**

** "–Bloods," Xavier finished my sentence. "Aubrey, I'm not an ordinary human, though." His hands formed fists.**

** "I know, Xavier. You can understand me like no other. Please listen to me, though. My father was trying to pair me with Eric. If I don't find a mate soon, my pack stands a slim chance of surviving. A slim chance of being able to go on to protect mankind." **

** "So then, go with Eric!" he yelled. I shouldn't have told him that. My mind caught up to my words.**

"**It's not like that. You know that." My voice started to rise.**

"**I don't understand, Aubrey. You never answered my question! What happened to us?" Xavier's voice was full of guilt and anger.**

** My necklace started burning once more. "I guess we grew apart," I answered, rubbing my neck.**

** "No. You gave up." Xavier found his way to his feet. "You gave up on us, on hope. I sat there night after night thinking about you. I never once gave up on us. I knew I was going to see you again. I never lost hope. I don't get you. You tell me, all of these lies. You still care about me, as do I care for you, but the issue is you can't admit it to yourself."**

** Showing my teeth, I stood up. "I can admit it!" I screamed. "I love you, Xavier! I always did, and I always will! My feelings never changed about you – about us. That's why we're here, in this predicament. Diablo saw how much I cared and loved you, and that's why he attacked us. That's why we had to go get the Oswego clan. These are very powerful wolves, and they're half-bloods, just like me. But, you see, no one believes me! You wanna know what's going on? Pretty much my whole family's dead, I'm leading a group of wolves even though I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to be doing as a leader, and I'm protecting a guy whom I belong with, but can't be with."**

"**Ever since I met you, everything inside told me to stay with you. On top of all that, I have a packmate that has some weird issue with touching me. He touched me, once, and I felt nothing but pain. I found out my grandmother's dead, but somehow we all saw her the other day. Also, this necklace? The one she gave me?" I lifted it up. "This necklace has a special gift that I have no clue about! No one does. All I know is, it burns! Especially when we argue!"**

**I felt tears fall from my face as I fell to my knees. "That's what's going on," I choked.**

** Xavier sat next to me, holding me. "Aubrey, please. Let me help you." Wiping away my tears, he kissed me. My body started to tingle again, just as it did the last time our lips met.**

"**Listen to me, Aubrey. I might not entirely understand the wolf ways or what the rules of your pack are, but I do know this: I know you love me and care about me, as do I about you. I also know that you are your own being. You can control what happens. I will do everything in my power to help you. Now, who's this packmate that hurts you?" Xavier's voice was so soft and caring. He really did want to help me. **_**Don't get close,**_** a familiar voice warned in my head.**

** "Eric," I answered, ignoring the familiar voice that rung in my mind.**

** Studying me for quite some time, he continued. "Have you talked to him about it?"**

** "Yeah. He told me that he doesn't know what it is and that he'd been exiled from other packs because of it." I found my way into Xavier's arms, into a safe place. A place where nothing bad could happen and it was just him and me. Just – us. "He also knew a lot about the Oswego clan, and he really didn't like the idea of going to ask them for help." **

** "Hmm. Well, my guess is that, that was one of the packs Eric was exiled from." He kissed my forehead.**

** "Yeah, makes sense. Guess I should talk to Ren about it." I didn't wanna move. I couldn't. My body and mind yelled at the thought of moving away from him.**

** "I will tell Ren and Alicia about that wolf that was chasing me," he offered.**

** "Her name is Bloodlust."**

** "Ok, I'll tell them about Bloodlust. As far as your Grandma and that necklace – I just don't know. We'll figure it out, Bree."**

**I felt myself getting tired. "Alright," I yawned.**

** "Bree, please, we'll get through this. I promise," he reassured me.**

** "I hope so, Xavier." I soon drifted off into a deep slumber.**

_**"Where am I?"**_

_**"Hello?"**_

_**My eyes finally focused. I wasn't in the tall grass anymore, not with Xavier. It was as if I was in an endless white room. "Xavier!" I yelled, but all that answered me was my own echoes. "Where am I?" I asked again, to the whiteness.**_

_** ". . . Am I"**_

_** ". . . m I"**_

_** ". . . I"**_

_** "Aubrey, Darling?" a voice like my mother's called out.**_

_** "Mom?" Still, nothing but white all around me. "Is that you, Mom?" The echoes stopped.**_

_** "No, darling, it's your Aurora." A smiling girl appeared, her long white hair almost touching the floor. Aurora seemed to be my age, or close to it. Her eyes looked like they were made of lavender.**_

_** "Grandma?" I was shocked to see her. She looked so young and beautiful.**_

_** "Aubrey, darling, I have a message." Aurora's smile faded, "Great changes are about to happen between the Humans and the Half-bloods. Changes that have never before been witnessed."**_

_** "What are they? What am I supposed to do?!" My voice rang with uncertainty.**_

_** "Aubrey, you need to listen to yourself. Your instinct will tell you what's best." Her sweet smiled returned to her face, but she was starting to become transparent. **_

_** "Grandma?!" I leaped forward, right through her. Turning back around, I saw a young man next to her, holding her hand. "Grandma, I still have questions," I pleaded. My eyes were fixed on the young man. I'd never seen him before.**_

_** "Let the power of the necklace guide you," she answered, looking into the eyes of the young man. Love seemed to flood the air around me.**_

_** The man turned to look at me. "You will make a great Alpha, granddaughter, just like your father."**_

"_**Grandpa?"**_

"_**Grandma and I are always with you." He smiled as they both vanished. **_

** My eyes flung open, and there I was, back in the tall grass with Xavier. His arms were closed loosely around me as he slept beside me. It was 8 P.M., the sun just started to set, and the animals were on their way home.**

**I rubbed Xavier's shoulder, trying wake him up. "Xavier? We need to get up. The pack's probably freaking out." I tried to wake him once more, but it was useless. He was dead asleep. I tried slipping my body from his grasp, and his eyes opened.**

** "Where do you think you're going?" He asked with a sleepy voice.**

** "It's late. The pack probably thinks I've abandoned them or something." Ah, his voice was so adorable, I couldn't help but to smile. It all disappeared, though, when I heard Ren's howl. Ah, hell.**

**After I phased, Xavier climbed onto my back. "You know, I'm getting tired of being carried around like this."**

** Honestly, I took my time going to see why Ren called me. It was no emergency, and besides, I wanted to take in the surroundings like I used to before everything happened. I would rather be a wolf then a human any day. The places you see and the things you hear – things you would only find in story books – are truly unbelievable. It's amazing.**

**I finally stumbled in front of Ren. In front of everyone, actually. They were around my house. Xavier got off my back and went inside.**

** "Aubrey, we need to talk to you." Ren spoke as though he were my father. "I was talking to Alicia, and we agreed it would be best to hand Xavier over to the military."**

** Before I could stop myself, I was snarling and growling threats. "I will not hand him over!'"**

** Ren maintained his composer. "Aubrey, it's what's best for the pack."**

** "I can protect Xavier, and this whole pack along with him. I will not let him go!" I barked.**

** "Aubrey, sweetie, you've taken on too much. Your father couldn't even do that. You don't know what the Sons of Ebony are like." Mom came over to me to try and calm me down.**

** "Don't you see?" I asked. "The Sons of Ebony kill for fun!" I exploded. "They love to see pain, and sorrow, and hatred, and fear. They feed off of it! You out of everyone here should know that! They will do everything in their power to kill him." I bared my teeth at her, but I soon wished I hadn't said such things, as she started to cry.**

**I walked over to her and licked her ears, trying to comfort her. "Listen, I may not have any idea as to how to lead a pack, but I know one thing. I know I will do what's right for this pack, for Xavier, and for myself. I told my father I would protect this clan, even if it meant my own death, and so I will. I can promise that to you, and to everyone." My voice had softened considerably.**

** "I trust Bree," my Beta piped up, and came up alongside me.**

** "I trust her too!" Shay smiled and walked over to me.**

** "As do we," Fang and Comegy chimed in together.**

** One by one, everyone made their pledge, their pledge to trust me. "Thank you, everyone," I smiled, and gave out the first of many orders to come. "Fang, Comegy, Mike. You're on patrol tonight. Everyone else, please go inside and get some rest. Alicia, Kia, and Ari will go out and hunt. When they return, we will all eat." I looked at Ren. "May I speak with you?"**

** "Of course." Ren stood up and waited.**

** "Eric, please come with us." I looked him straight in the eyes. He took a moment, but I was ready. There would be no escaping this. The truth would be told.**

** "Ren, what do know about Eric?" I asked.**

** "Come on, Aubrey, this isn't necessary," Eric protested, trying to get out of the conversation.**

** Glaring at him, I continued. "Ren?"**

** Ren, who looked politely confused, walked over to Eric and sniffed his fur. Within seconds, Ren changed to kill mode. "I knew you looked familiar!" he snarled. "You should be glad I haven't killed you yet!"**

** "Ren?!" I'm not going to lie. I'd never seen Ren act like that.**

** "His name's Draco! He's one of them!" Ren lashed out and pinned him to the ground.**

** "You're – a warrior of the Sons of Ebony?!" Everything dropped inside me.**

** "No! Not anymore!" he gasped.**

** "You're lying!" I yelled. "You lied about your name! You lied about who you are!" I felt so betrayed. So angry. He had something to do with all of this! All of these crimes!**

** "No. . . No. . . My name is Eric. I just went by Draco. Yes, I was a warrior, but I'm not anymore. I swear!" Eric pleaded, nearly suffocating underneath Ren's jaws.**

** "I don't believe you." My eyes started watering. **_**An alpha shows no emotion,**_** that same familiar voice told me. Inhaling deeply, I focused myself, focused myself on my anger.**

** "I'm telling you the truth! If that was the case, why did I save you from Diablo when he attacked that night on the trials? I'm telling the truth!" he practically choked. Ren's teeth were locked on his neck, as he waited for me to give him the ok.**

_**Let him prove himself. Prove his loyalty, **_**the voice echoed. I heeded its advice, and said, "Until you can prove your loyalty to me, consider yourself exiled." My voice was flat.**

**Ren let go off him and chased him out of our territory. I watched but felt nothing.**

**. . . I felt nothing. . .**

**. . . Empty. . .**

**. . . Numb. . .**

**Authors note: Hey! Like the book so far? Yeah? Then go like the Facebook page!**

**Pictures, polls and status about upcoming Vicissitude Aisle)**

**Stay tune… there's definitely more to come!**

**Thanks for all of your support!**

**~Kayla **


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Phasing, I stood there, not moving. I couldn't. How could I have let a warrior of the Sons of Ebony into my clan? I knew there was something wrong with him. Why hadn't I brought it to Alpha's attention? Urgh! Alpha and the rest of my family could still be here if I had only –!

But then a thought raced through my head.

The next time I see him, I will kill him.

_That's not the answer. _ That familiar voice started talking once more.

"It is the answer!" I yelled to the air. "If he wasn't in the clan, this would have never happened!"

_It was meant to happen, young Alpha. Greater things are going to fall into place._

"No…" I started to cry softly. "He's the cause of this, and he will pay."

_ Violence isn't the answer, nor will it ever be._

"It is for the Sons of Ebony."

_That's not the path you walk. Remember who you are, young Alpha; remember what you've been taught._

"What am I supposed to do? If violence isn't the answer, what is?" I was lost, lost in my emotional turmoil and my thoughts.

_You._

"Me?"

"Aubrey?" I turned to look. "Are you ok?" Xavier asked.

"Yeah, just fine," I lied, even though I know Xavier knew different.

"Bree, you do realize that you were just talking to yourself," he protested.

Great. "I wasn't talking to myself, I hear voices in my head –"

"Uhm?" Xavier stopped me.

Maybe that wasn't the best way to explain it. I face-palmed. "The necklace talks to me."

Xavier came over to me and held me, "If I didn't know you better I would think you were starting to go crazy." He chuckled. "What's it telling you?" he asked. I recited the whole conversation to him.

After thinking a bit, he finally said, "Well, I agree. Violence isn't the answer, nor will it ever be."

"What about me being the key to solving this whole mess?" I was hoping he would have the answer.

"I don't know, Bree, but the voice is making it clear not to lose yourself," he said, trying to comfort me. Like always, he was very successful.

"Too late." I looked in his eyes.

Staring in mine he replied, "No, I can still see her. She's not lost, just hidden."

Returning to the house on my four paws, I saw that Alicia, Ari and Kia hunted down a feast for us: 2 does, 3 foxes, and one 8 pointed buck. I was shocked! I'd never seen a large hunt like that before. Though my stomach was growling, my brain was telling me otherwise. I called the pack to come and eat. As a show of respect to their Alpha, they waited for me to take the first bite.

I looked at their faces one by one. "Eric is now considered an outsider," I stated. "If you see him on the territory, call for help and wait until I arrive. Do you understand?" A lot of curious yeses answered my question. "Good. I'm not going to eat tonight. So, please, dig in." I smiled sweetly.

"Aubrey, you should eat to keep your strength up." Mom looked at me, concerned.

"I'm fine, Mom, promise." I reassured her.

"So then what are you going to do while we eat?" Peyton mumbled, her mouth full of fox meat.

"I'm going to patrol for a while."

"Can I come with you?" Comegy piped up.

"Uh, sure." I wagged my tail. It seemed as though the Oswego clan was really starting to open up to us. Which made me really happy. "When the rest of you get done eating, I want an intense patrol. Alicia, you're with Shay. Peyton, you're with Fang. Mike, you're going with Ren and Kia. Ari, I would like you to watch the pups." I ordered. "While you're on patrol, I would like you to get to know each other."

Walking with Comegy was really interesting. He seemed so easygoing, laid back, carefree. I guess you couldn't blame him. Comegy wasn't oblivious; he knew what had happened. But he never let the negativity get to him, never let it bring him down. It amazed me, really.

We were patrolling the area where the clan had first met Eric. The thought of him made my insides turn once more.

"So, Aubrey, why are you so down?" Comegy asked.

"Just stressed. I'm fine, though. I promise," I replied.

"You sure?" he asked, studying me.

Absentmindedly, I asked, "What do you know about a wolf named Draco?" I had changed the subject without even thinking about it.

I saw Comegy's teeth at once. "He was welcomed into our clan. And Dad doesn't let just any wolf join our clan. He wants it to be a family, you know?" Sighing, he continued. "Kia came across Draco first, but never told anyone about him. Night after night, she would go back out to see him. Eventually, she fell in love with him." I saw Comegy's body go tense.

"That's right . . ." I was remembering. "Age isn't a factor of pairing up in a full-blooded wolf's life."

"Age?" Comegy questioned.

"Don't worry, continue."

"Uh, alright. Well, Kia fell in love with Draco. Draco told her he wanted to be with her, but Kia knew she couldn't run off with him, not yet. Our Father raised us better than that. So, she brought him back to the den. We all met him, and he seemed ok. At least, to me he did. A month went by and Draco was fitting in more and more, but – one day it changed."

Comegy and I sat down on the soft, bright grass. "Fang and I were practicing fighting. With Draco watching us. I thought it would have been fun to see what he was made of. I mean, if he and my sister were going to be together, I wanted to make sure that he could protect her. So I wait until he turned his back and I jumped on him. And I felt nothing but pain."

My insides started to shake as I recall the pain the flowed through my body the night Eric touched my back. _ I should have told Alpha._ My mind regretted once more. "I'm sorry to hear that," I replied through my thoughts. "What happened then?"

I could see that it was painful for Comegy to recall. "Well, Fang saw me twitching in pain. He told me later that my howls were so bloody that it made his ears throb. Mom was the one who got him off me. Then Dad wrestled him and was trying to kill him. He somehow got away. From then on, Kia was treated as a pup."

"Wow." I kind of felt horrible for treating Kia like a pup. I mean, how was she supposed to know that Draco – I mean Eric – was a warrior, or, is a warrior for The Sons of Ebony? I didn't even know myself. "How come Kia didn't know about him? I mean, she had to lay next to him, right?" My thoughts escaped my mouth before I could stop them.

"That's a good question. I don't know, Aubrey." Comegy looked puzzled. "Kia never told us if she felt any pain when she was by him."

Thinking, I said, "I think it's about time we switch up the patrols." A plan came to my mind. If I could get Kia to open up, she could tell me everything about her and Eric – I mean Draco, or whatever his name really is. Howling, I called every patrol to the soft green grass. Within 20 minutes, everyone was there.

"What's going on?" Ren asked.

"I want to switch up the patrols a bit." I smiled. "Comegy, you go with Shay. Mom, why don't you go home and help Ari with the pups? Kia, come with me," I ordered. Kia sighed, but respected my orders and followed them.

Kia and I walked in awkward silence for what seemed to be forever. She hated me and I knew that. I guess I really couldn't blame her, though.

"Hey, Kia?" I was hoping she wouldn't ignore me.

It took her a minute or so to contemplate whether she would or not, but she chose the right decision in the end. "Yeah?"

"Listen, I know I've been hard on you a lot lately. But I don't want to lose you. I know it seems strange because I hardly know you, but it's true. I don't want to lose you or anyone else anymore. I want to apologize, however. I shouldn't treat you like a pup nor should I have." Kia's was dumbfounded – she really didn't know what to say. "Really I'm sorry. I would like to get to know you better. Please, tell me about yourself."

"I, uh. Well, there's not much to know," she objected.

"I disagree. Fine, I'll start with myself. Hmm, I was marked when I was 3 year – I mean, I was marked when I was a human pup. I grew up all my life with nobody – no human, anyway – knowing what to think of me. I honestly didn't know what to think of myself, and I still don't. Eventually my father picked me, for some godly reason, to be Alpha of his pack. You see where that led me? Needless to say, I've had some really chaotic experiences growing up." I looked over at my companion as we walked along the rail road that would eventually take us to the lake.

Kia's face seemed bothered. "I bet you never came across a wolf that was in the Sons of Ebony and didn't tell anyone about it." Her face twitched with shame and the pain of the memory.

She knew? Kia knew that Eric was in that clan! My mouth dropped, but I quickly covered it up. "Actually, I have, Kia. When I was old enough to explore the territory, I came across one such wolf. I never said one word to my Alpha, Luke, or anyone."

"Not even the human boy you're in love with?" Her bright yellow eyes locked on mine.

"No, not even him."

Time passed and Kia opened up to me. Not about her and Draco, but about other things. It was really nice. She reminded me a lot of myself, honestly. Kia wanted to be known. Her goal in life was to be a great Alpha and go down in history for it, so that her pup's pups would hear her name and know who she was. Unlike me, she really and truly wanted to be Alpha. Kia knew what it took and she swore she had it. Made me think a lot about me being Alpha, and the things I wanted in life.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

As Kia and I were walking, now close to my house, the warm summer air shifted and I felt uneasy. Not sick, but bothered. In the distance I heard Mom's frustrated voice: "I can assure you, we are trying to keep it under control." There was anger in her tone. Looking at Kia, I knew we needed to get back. I sounded an emergency call and ran toward the house as Kia followed confusedly behind me.

As I approached I saw two very built men, both wearing black trench coats, talking to Mom while Ari hovered over the pups, eyeballing them up and down in a protective stance. Phasing, I walked over to the men. "Hi. My name's Aubrey, Alpha of this pack. Can I help you?"

The taller man that had short, almost military cut brown hair and dark brown eyes answered. "Hello, I'm Mark Case, and this is my partner, Damon Tilt." His hand gestured towards the man standing behind him, next to Mom. Damon had shaggy blonde hair and blue eyes. "We're here to ask some questions."

Just then, the pack arrived, ready to fight. I raised my hand up, signaling them to back off and relax. "Alright, ask away," I said nonchalantly as my mind exploded. Questions?! What kind of 'questions'? Since when do THEY care about us?

The shaggy-haired detective pulled out his note recorder and began to speak: "Aubrey is your name, correct?"

"Yes, sir." My insides started to shake.

"You are half human, half monster, correct?" His blue eyes met mine.

My mind exploded again as I heard snarls coming from the clan. WE ARE NOT MONSTERS! But only I could hear them so clearly. I translated in kinder words, "We prefer to be called half bloods." I found a trace of amusement in his eyes.

"Half Bloods?" Mark questioned.

"Yes, sir," I replied coldly, not losing eye contact with Damon.

"Alright then. Are you 'Half-bloods' aware of the killings of humans that have been occurring recently?" Mark continued.

"Of course!" Mom said.

"What can you tell us about the Mall massacre?" Damon broke his eye contact with me in order to direct the question at Mom. Something inside me wanted to rip him apart.

"Well, the wolf that was there is – WAS named Eli-"

"These animals have names?" Damon laughed. "Haha, they're wild animals. They don't have names or feelings."

Mom kept her composure, kept smiling that sweet smile. "Yes they do, Damon. Pure-bloods such as yourself fail to realize that."

Mark grabbed Damon's arms, obviously telling him to cool it. He then spoke once more: "Please continue."

I spoke up. "I was there when it happened. I was shopping with my Beta, Peyton." I pointed her out. "We were shopping when we both heard screams and the smell of blood."

"You can smell blood?" Mark asked, shocked.

"Well, yeah. Our senses are more heighted than those of pure-bloods, sir." Out of the corner of my eye I could see Damon's eyes widen.

"What did you do?" Mark acted as though it were a horror movie of some sort.

"Well, I commanded my Beta to go get help while I took care of whatever it was that was causing the panic. We both phased, and I took off into the direction that my nose was leading me to. I came upon Eli, and – well, I tried to fight him, but he was too strong. He was able to pin me and bite my neck." My muscles and throat started to throb just thinking about it.

"He got away?" Mark managed.

"No, my father attacked him and killed him," I replied, remembering the gruesome scene.

"You guys kill?" Damon's voice cracked, which made me smile.

"Well, we hunt animals at times, of course, and we also chase unwelcomed guess out of our territory. When needed, we kill the ones who attack us." Mom smiled at him.

"Okay, okay. Tell me all you know," Mark demanded.

"Well, there's a clan called the Sons of Ebony. Their focus is killing humans for reasons we're unsure of. Recently, we found out that some if not all of them are half bloods, like us," I rambled off.

"They're monsters like you?!" Damon yelled.

"We are not monsters!" I yelled back.

"They're like you, and they kill people. They're monsters!" he yelled back, reaching for something behind his back in his belt.

"Wait," Mark said. "What does your clan consist of?"

"Six half-bloods, 7 full-bloods, 1 pure-blood." I tried counting quickly in my head.

"There's a human in your pack?"

"Only because the Sons of Ebony are trying to kill him."

"What are Full-bloods?"

"Full-blooded wolves."

"Wild wolves?" Damon exploded. "Mark."

"I'm sorry, Aubrey, I know you mean well. However, we're placing you, as well as the rest of your, uh, pack, under arrest." Mark sighed.

"Under arrest?!" My mouth dropped, as well as Mom's. "Under what charge?" I stepped back when they took out their handcuffs. Neither one of them made any attempt to talk. They started closing in, and the pack closed in on them.

"We have a right to know!" Mom objected.

With a devious smile, Damon chuckled, "You're animals. You have no rights."

_Run, _the necklace command.

With that, I looked at my Mom. She knew exactly what I was thinking. I looked at Peyton, who immediately got the pack rallied up. Full threat barks, snarls, and gashing teeth filled the air around us, easily making the detectives back off. Mom quickly phased to help Ari with the pups as they started running ahead of us. Kia and Shay took off after them in case they needed back up.

"What did you do?" Damon's eyes were scanning the wolves behind him. When I didn't reply, he turned back to find me growling at him also. The military-haired man sounded over the radio a code orange. I have no idea what 'code orange' means, but as always, any code isn't a good one.

"What's all the ruckus?" Xavier appeared out of the house, obviously he'd just woke up to hell about to cut loose.

I couldn't take my eyes off of the two men. I didn't trust them. I barked once and let out a low growl. Xavier didn't know exactly what was going on but at least he realized that he needed to get on my back. Which he did.

"What are you doing!?" Mark yelled at him.

"Trusting her," Xavier replied.

"You trust an animal?!" Damon looked at him as though he'd lost his senses.

"Yes, I do, far more than any human," he replied right back.

_Time's running out, _my mind scolded.

"Now!" I ordered. At once, everyone broke out into a run, scattering in every direction. Running full force, I felt Xavier's hands ripping my shoulder fur out as he hung on for dear life. His body pressed against mine. I felt his heart beat become one with mine. He became one with me. Although he still was on my back, I could hear his thoughts, as he heard mine.

_"What's going on, Bree?" _He was so lost. I could feel it.

_ "I'm not exactly sure. I think they think we're threats to them," _I replied.

_ "How? You and your pack have always taken care of them." _Xavier was annoyed. I felt it.

_ "I don't know, Xavier, I really-" _A horrifying yelp broke my thoughts. Coming to a complete halt almost made Xavier go flying head first over me. Seconds later, growls and human screams chased right after the yelp.

"_We need to go back!"_ I told him, and we were off before he could question me.

Upon arriving at the scene, I saw everyone - every single pack member – in crates! They were all loaded onto FBI trucks, like baggage. What the hell?! my mind screamed, and suddenly, I felt…really….tired… lethargic, almost. I tried running, but my legs were jelly and they didn't obey my orders. I fell to the ground as my eyes started going blurry and my thoughts became nothing. I heard Xavier's voice, however, but it was coming through a haze.

"Bree, you been shot by a – UUGH!" I felt Xavier's weight vanish; THUD! I couldn't see anything besides darkness. I couldn't smell anything, either. My senses were dead, except for my hearing, and that wasn't all too great either.

"We got them, Mark! Isn't my father going to be proud of me?!" I heard Damon's laugh.

"You know, they didn't do anything wrong, Damon." Mark sounded disgusted. "They have proof on the recorder," he added.

"Ah, you see there, Mark, this is where I teach an old dog new tricks. It pays to have lots of friends." I could hear the sick smile in his voice.

"That's tampering with evidence!" Mark accused.

"So, what are you going to do about it? Remember, I hold the cards here. Say one word, and I'll make sure my father fires you off the squad and spoils your name rotten." I wanted to listen in more, but my hearing was fading faster, and I felt my mind shut down.

_Am I dying?_

_I can't be, can I?_

I didn't even tell Xavier goodbye, that I'm sorry. Sorry I couldn't protect him. I couldn't protect what we had. That's why pure-bloods should never mix with half-bloods, I suppose. He should never have been involved in this mess.

_Hold on…._

Then,

I

Fell

Into

Darkness.

"Aubrey, wake up. Wake up, my dear." Mom's voice echoed through my head. "Sweetie, you need to wake up." It wasn't her sweet, soft voice, though. No. Panic and fright tightened her voice and filled my head.

"_What's wrong?" _I tried yelling._ "Mom?"_

"Aubrey, please, wake up!" Mom's voice was a whisper. I could barely hear what she was saying. Then, nothing.

_ What's going on?_ my mind asked. _Why do I feel so limp, so numb? Why can't Mom hear me? Why can't I hear her anymore?_ Questions played cat and mouse in my head. One after another, chasing back and forth. For once in my life, I felt completely helpless and alone. I have almost no recollection of what happened, except in my own head, where my sluggish thoughts tried desperately to figure everything out.

_Am I dead?_

Suddenly, I felt something. Something so powerful it filled my veins with energy, got my heart racing again. It was burning and tingling all over for what felt like years. Then, my eyes jolted open and I found my body uncontrollably spazzing out. Focusing, I saw a blue spark leave my side. I couldn't see what it was, for my vision blurred out quickly. But I could feel my surroundings again, and my body. I was standing on my four paws.

A voice spoke up. "Did you like your wake up call?" I'd heard this voice before. Why could I not place it? "Now, since you mutts are all up, here's how it's going to work." My vision came back, along with a headache. I saw some shaggy-haired man before me. He had cold blue eyes. He looked so familiar. "You monsters will be fed 3 times a week." 'Monsters?' I let out a growl. That same rush of power jerked my body once more. This time, I saw what it was. It was a tazer. "Well, as this dog demonstrated, if I or any of the security guards feel threatened, we will taze you." Instincts exploded from within me and I lunged forward, latched onto the cage, and started biting it. Two tazers hit me at once and I landed on the ground, numb.

"Wow, you mutts really are stupid."

"Aubrey, stop!" Mom yelled at me.

"What's going on?" I asked blurrily. I started to see. We were all in separate, small cages, but they were all pushed together.

Peyton spoke up. "We're done for."

"We are not done for," Shay responded.

"How aren't we?" Peyton yelled, obviously frustrated.

"This isn't the time to fight!" I exploded. "Mom, what's going on?"

"Basically, we're stuck in here until they figure out which of us are half-bloods and which of us are full-bloods. Once they find that out, well, they'll kill Ren and his clan. And for us? I don't know." Mom's voice cracked.

"Have you seen any way to escape?" I started getting worried. I promised my father I would protect his clan, no matter what. Now look where we are.

"No, darling. It's sealed shut." Mom's eyes looked into mine. And we both knew, maybe before anyone else, that we had no chance.

Shuffling. Doors closing. I could hear inmates from yards and yards away complaining, and I called out. _What am I supposed to do?_ Nothing answered me. _Hello? _I realized my necklace wasn't on me. _Great. _I also noticed that Xavier wasn't in the room, either. I started. "Where did they take Xavier?!"

"They took him out of the cop car before they moved us in here." Mom answered.

"He's innocent!" I growled. Luckily, I didn't get tazed, because the guard was sleeping.

"Bree, calm down," Shay spoke up. "He's a full-blooded human. HE has rights." Shay was in the cage next to me.

Leaning against the wall that separated us, she started to lick my nose to comfort me. "But –" I tried. "But how do you know for sure?"

"Because I heard them talking about their plans with him. They can't starve him or taze him, because he's human. Born with rights. But they do plan to get information out of him. How they'll do that, I have no clue." Shay licked my nose again.

"Ugh." My head started spinning.

"Aubrey?" Kia spoke in a soft voice.

"Yeah?"

"We're going to be ok, right?" She started to whimper and whine.

_I can't lie to her. But I don't want her to worry, the others to worry. _I strengthened my voice and replied, "I will do everything in my power to save you all. Even if that means my own death," I reassured her.

The huge door swung open. My eyes adjusted to the sudden light and the uniformed visitor turned out to be – Eric? Eric! I bared my teeth, and he spoke, but not to me. "Hey, George, why don't you stop sleeping and actually watch these mutts."

The man woke up grumpy. "Can it, newbie." He smiled, "At least I'm not stuck with them for the next 12 hours."

"12 hours can go a long way." He looked at me and smiled. _Great. 12 hours with him. No clue where Xavier is. And who knows if we're actually going to escape this hell. Wonderful._

Picking up a couple of papers and pens, the one called George scrambled out the door. Eric didn't waste any time. He came right up to us, and whispered, "Bree, listen. I know you don't trust me, and you're probably wondering why I'm here, working with them. But I've come to redeem myself."

Looking at him, I let out a menacing growl, backed as far as I could away from him, and laid down.

"Aubrey, he's trying to help," Mom said, shocked.

"Yeah! I mean, why can't we trust him?" Peyton added in.

My eyes met Ren's, and even though it took every atom in his body, he spoke. "I agree."

I knew inside that they were right. I mean, really, what other choice do we have? We need to escape, any way we can. Ren's life, and the life of his clan, depends on it, and – and who knows what they're doing to Xavier?

Sighing, I went back up to him. He looked grateful as he started speaking. "Ok, guys, listen up. The cameras are going to shut off within the next 20 minutes for the nightly updates."_ Okay, sounds easy. _"Sounds easy, right? Well, this is the part that'll be difficult. I'm gonna release you all, but we only have a 5-minute gap until the cameras turn back on. Here's the bad news. The way we need to go is about a 10 minute running distance in wolf form, and that's assuming we don't grab Xavier on the way."

He grabbed the tazer and slipped something over it. "Here," he offered, sticking it into the cage. It was my crescent moon necklace! I shimmed it over my head, and it blended in with my fur.

_Maybe I can start trusting him once more._ The thought popped into my mind, following by that familiar voice I'd missed so much.

_ "Don't let your guard down. Keep your eye on him."_

_ I will. Is Xavier alright?_

_ "Now, yes. Time is running thin, young Alpha. You need to act fast. At this point, your decisions will carve his fate. Be wise and follow your instincts."_

My gut was telling me to leave him, and as much as my heart ached, it was telling me to leave him also. Looking at Eric, I nodded in agreement. I then spoke to the clan: "Listen. In 20 minutes, Eric's going to let us loose. We need to follow him and run as fast as we possibly can. We have a 5-minute time frame with a 10-minute run. Kia, Ari, Mom, you're carrying the pups. Everyone else, surround them, and if guards appear, take 'em out. If we get caught again, that's it. We're dead for sure." I felt everyone's anxiety wash over me and drown me out.

"What about Xavier?" Comegy asked. I'd hoped no one would.

"We don't have time. We can't save him and save ourselves." My own ears heard my voice crack. "But – I'll come back for him."

"You won't be coming alone," Shay spoke up quickly.

"I will not jeopardize any of your lives." My voice was stern.

"But, Aubrey," Kia made a failed attempt.

"No. If I get caught, then you guys need to protect humanity, despite this. Xavier is my responsibility, and I will protect him," I ordered.

5 minutes until we take off. 5 minutes before my pack's fate is decided.

I was second guessing myself. _I can't risk their lives, there has to be another way. _But, my gut was telling me otherwise.

_Alright. _"Guys, get ready to get out of these cages as fast as you can. Remember, get rid of the guards. Just do what it takes to get to safety." I quickly ran the plan over to them as Eric phased, unseen by the camera, to wait by the button that would release us all.

3… Kia grabbed Kyra.

2… Mom grabbed Ryan.

1… and Ari grabbed Seth. Eric took off with me at his heels and everyone else right behind us. It was a maze. Right, left, left, left, right, left again up several sets of stairs, when I heard Eric yell.

"Guys, we only have 2 minutes and we're not even halfway!"

"Don't worry!" I yelled back. "We'll make it!"

A huge security guard exited a room right in front of us in the hallway. Seeing us, his mouth dropped. He scrambled to the wall where there was a red security button. He punched it and sirens blasted in the hallway as we passed him.

"Great," Eric growled.

"Ditto," I responded. "Guys, sense up. Protect the pups. Guards are sure to come soon," I warned. Just as that command escaped my mouth, two guards came around one of the hallways, each holding a tazers. Growling, Eric and I jumped up and latched onto their arms, causing them to let go of their weapons. The pack ran past us as we let go and ran after them.

"Go right, down the stairs, and then another right. Hit the button on the wall!" Eric command. We did as he told us, trusting him not to get us killed. Peyton hit the button on the wall once everyone was in. The doors closed on the elevator, and Eric started speaking. "The elevator's going to take us to the basement, which is a small parking garage. We'll be free afterward," he reassured us. The doors opened, and from there, Eric let me take the lead. We ran towards freedom, into territories unknown.

We kept running, afraid that if we stopped, they'd catch us somehow, that if they caught us, we'd be dead. No one said anything, out of fear. I don't know how long we ran for. I kept thinking that we must have passed out of state by now. I really wouldn't have been surprised.

The trees were thick and as we ran deeper and deeper, they kept getting thicker, until we ran into a really small opening which led to a huge mansion. It was all boarded up and obviously long abandoned. Here we all came to a stop at last. I walked towards a broken basement window as the clan followed behind closely. "Shay, Kia, Peyton," I ordered, "Check to see if the inside's safe." One by one, they slipped into the window and disappeared. The rest of us were constantly scanning our surroundings for any sign of our pursuers. I sent Fang, Comegy and Eric to patrol the small opening. A bark came from inside the house, signaling that it was safe. I barked to the boys who were patrolling as Ari slipped the pups into the window. Next it was her, and one by one, we all followed.

Entering the basement, I could already tell that this had been an amazing home, once. Gym equipment, indoor pool and hot tubs, huge TV with a couple of chairs. I proceeded upstairs to a huge living room. Shay popped up next to me.

"Aubrey, this place is huge and nothing's even touched. It's as if someone made it and then just left," Shay noted.

Mom came from the kitchen. "We have enough food to last us about two weeks or so." She sounded incredulous.

"There's also a viewing spot on the roof. Great in case someone comes up on us," Ari added.

"Then Fang, Comegy, and I will be lookout tonight. We're trained to scan from great heights," Ren said.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Of course." He was stern, and honestly, I wasn't going to argue with him.

I carried my weight up the stairs to the first of many bedrooms on the right, entered, phased, and landed on the bed. God, I'd missed my human form.

Then the door opened and my eyes shot toward that direction to see a slim, short girl standing there.

"Aubrey, when you go get him, I'm coming with you," Shay spoke.

"I don't want –"

"You are my Alpha, and I will fight and protect you as well as the ones you love." I'd never heard so much power in her voice.

Once she was gone, I started drifting into a peaceful slumber as my mouth spat out, to no one in particular, my thought: "How much pressure can love take before it pulverizes, crystallizes, crushes into dust?"

Author's note:

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